Fired

Calpine said it acquired the development rights from Enron NorthAmerica for the 750 MW gas-fired Pastoria Energy Center planned forKern County, CA. The $500 million project was licensed by theCalifornia Energy Commission in December 2000 and construction isexpected to begin this summer. Energy deliveries are scheduled tobegin by summer 2003 in time to help meet Southern California’sgrowing peak summer power demand. “This project significantlyadvances Calpine’s $4 billion energy initiative to bring 8,000 MWof new generating capacity to the California market in the nextfour years,” said Calpine’s Vice President — BusinessDevelopment John King. Pastoria will be built about 30 miles southof Bakersfield on property leased from the Tejon Ranch Corp. Thefacility will feature three General Electric Frame 7FA gascombustion turbines in combined-cycle with two steam turbines,representing 750 MW of capacity.

The winter peak in gas demand has a new rival: summer peakdemand. And many market observers are wondering if the two canco-exist. With rapidly increasing gas-fired generation, theindustry will be hard pressed to met traditional loads whileserving what once was a low priorty — the power generators.

Indicative of the demands placed on California’s aging fleet ofin-state natural gas-fired electricity generating plants in thelast half of 2000, Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co.utility established its all-time sendout record of 1.142 Tcf,eclipsing the previous record year (1991) by almost 100 Bcf.

Indicative of the demands placed on California’s aging fleet ofin-state natural gas-fired electricity generating plants in thelast half of 2000, Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co.utility established its all-time sendout record of 1.142 Tcf,eclipsing the previous record year (1991) by almost 100 Bcf.

American Electric Power and Dow Chemical are moving forward withplans to construct a $325 million natural gas-fired cogenerationplant at Dow’s chemical complex in Plaquemine, LA. AEP also signeda 20-year contract for an undisclosed amount to sell all of thefacility’s 900 MW generation to Tractebel SA’s energy marketingunit once it is online, expected in early 2003.

Panda Energy International announced that it will build a $400million natural gas fired electric power plant in West Point, MS.The 1,300 MW Panda Black Prairie Project is expected to be incommercial service in 2004. “This is an excellent location for apower plant,”stated Garry Hubbard, Panda’s senior vice president ofdevelopment. “There is immediate access to electric transmissionfacilities and we are close to water and natural gas. Thiscombination will play a key role in helping us meet the energyneeds of the state.”

Saying it was as troubled by the public remarks of Alabamaofficials as it was of the $3.4 billion judgment, Exxon Mobil firedback yesterday, refuting what it called a “personal attack” on itsintegrity. A jury trial last week found the oil company haddefrauded the state and underpaid royalties on natural gas wellleases in state waters (see Daily GPI, Dec. 20).

The New Power Company fired the latest shot last week in itstwo-month-long battle with Green Mountain Energy Co. and PecoEnergy over the placement of more than 300,000 of PECO’selectricity customers. New Power announced late last week that itintended to file a protest with the Pennsylvania Public UtilityCommission (PUC) regarding the companies’ actions in allocatingthose customers.

Developers in 2000 set an all-time record in the United Statesfor production of megawatt capacity from natural gas-firedturbines. The interesting part about the new record is that it isexpected to be more than doubled in 2001, according to a new studyconducted by A. Michael Schaal of Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc.(EVA).