Fastest

Florida-based FPL Group Inc., the largest power company in oneof the fastest growing states, has agreed to buy New Orleans-basedEntergy Corp. for $13.9 billion in stock and assumed debt to formthe largest utility in the United States. When the deal is done,the new company will serve 6.3 million customers and have acombined generating capacity of more than 48,000 MW.

IntercontinentalExchange (ICE), one of the fastest growing electronic commodity marketplaces, is going public with its daily natural gas and power price indices, making them available, free of charge, to anyone that registers at www.intercontinentalexchange.com. The company said its index history is also available.

Marketer ECONnergy Energy lays claim to the title of fastest-growing retail natural gas marketer in National Fuel Gas (NFG) territory, moving into the number three slot among marketers in the western New York area after just three weeks of phone and door-to-door solicitations.

Ever-expanding San Jose, CA-based Calpine Corp., one of the nation’s fastest growing merchant power plant developers, Tuesday bought another 236 Bcf of natural gas reserves through two purchases–one in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and the other in South Texas. This brings Calpine’s gas reserves to about 1.5 Tcf, with a goal of having 6.7 Tcf in the company’s portfolio by the end of 2005 to support an almost exclusively gas-fired fleet of plants totaling 70,000 MW of output.

BP released its “Statistical Review of World Energy 2001” last week showing natural gas once again as the fastest growing fuel in 2000, with global consumption rising by 4.8% — the highest rate since 1996. However, the review also included for the first time a “Statistical Review of U.S. Energy.” For the U.S., BP notes, last year was a period when energy markets were characterized by high prices, low inventories, increased capacity utilization, and increased dependence on net energy imports. U.S. energy consumption growth in 2000, at 2.3%, was somewhat above the 10-year average of 1.8%, but well above the rate of growth in production, at 0.5%.

BP released its “Statistical Review of World Energy 2001” yesterday showing natural gas once again as the fastest growing fuel in 2000, with global consumption rising by 4.8% — the highest rate since 1996. However, the review also included for the first time a “Statistical Review of U.S. Energy.” For the U.S., BP notes, last year was a period when energy markets were characterized by high prices, low inventories, increased capacity utilization, and increased dependence on net energy imports. U.S. energy consumption growth in 2000, at 2.3%, was somewhat above the 10-year average of 1.8%, but well above the rate of growth in production, at 0.5%.

Natural gas is the “fastest growing primary energy source” according to a new report published in the International Energy Outlook 2001 (IEO), put together by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), with projections that its use will “nearly double” by 2020, providing a “relatively clean fuel for efficient new gas turbine power plants.”

Natural gas is the “fastest growing primary energy source”according to a new report published in the International EnergyOutlook 2001 (IEO), put together by the Energy InformationAdministration (EIA), with projections that its use will “nearlydouble” by 2020, providing a “relatively clean fuel for efficientnew gas turbine power plants.”

Florida-based FPL Group Inc., the largest power company in one of the fastest growing states, agreed last week to buy New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. for $13.9 billion in stock and assumed debt to form the largest utility in the United States. When the deal is done, the new company will serve 6.3 million customers and have a combined generating capacity of more than 48,000 MW.