Falls

Unless the price of natural gas falls sharply, New England likely will depend heavily on it as the main fuel for electricity production for the next 20 years, according to an analysis issued Thursday by ISO New England.

Unless the price of natural gas falls sharply, New England likely will depend heavily on it as the main fuel for electricity production for the next 20 years, according to an analysis issued on Thursday by ISO New England.

Canadian natural gas production is expected to increase by a meager 0.2% this year and then begin to decline as conventional gas extraction in Alberta slowly falls, the Conference Board of Canada reported last week.

Canadian natural gas production is expected to increase by a meager 0.2% this year and then begin a decline as conventional gas extraction in Alberta slowly falls, the Conference Board of Canada said Wednesday.

While its shareholders approved an acquisition of the Sioux Falls, SD- energy holding company, NorthWestern Energy reported second quarter financial results that were in the red, a consolidated net loss of $2.4 million, or 7 cents/share, compared with a larger loss of $3.9 million, for the same period last year. Costs related to the pending agreement to be acquired by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Limited (BBI) and a decrease in margins contributed to the continuing red ink, NorthWestern said.

If the natural gas pipeline deal put together by Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and the “Big Three” North Slope producers falls through, TransCanada Corp. still has a “realistic alternative” on the table, CEO Hal Kvisle told the governor in a letter earlier this month. TransCanada claims to hold valid permits and rights of way to construct the project from Alaska into Canada under Canada’s Northern Pipeline Act, which was enacted in the 1970s.

If the natural gas pipeline deal put together by Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and the “Big Three” North Slope producers falls through, TransCanada Corp. still has a “realistic alternative” on the table, the CEO said in a letter to the governor last week. TransCanada claims to hold valid permits and rights of way to construct the project from Alaska into Canada under Canada’s Northern Pipeline Act, which was enacted in the 1970s.

World gas demand growth falls behind demand growth for coal in the latest International Energy Outlook (IEO) by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The agency said this is the first time since it started the IEO in 1990 that the pace of gas demand growth has fallen behind that of coal, and the main reason this has happened is the higher projected prices for gas and oil.

Merger/acquisition target NorthWestern Corp., the Sioux Falls, SD-based utility holding company, received a boost in its credit ratings to “BB+” by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Friday, while the rating agency kept its CreditWatch with a “developing implications” designation.