Freeze

Despite the fact that much of the midwestern and eastern parts of the country are plunging into the season’s second cold freeze, natural gas futures traders appeared unmoved Friday as the March contract bounced back and forth before closing the regular session at $5.515, up 9.9 cents from Thursday’s finish and 38.4 cents from the previous week’s close.

Despite the fact that much of the midwestern and eastern parts of the country are plunging into the season’s second cold freeze, natural gas futures traders appeared unmoved Friday as the March contract bounced back and forth before closing the regular session at $5.515, up 9.9 cents from Thursday’s finish and 38.4 cents from the previous week’s close.

Williams Field Services (WFS) will perform emergency maintenance Thursday on the Turbo Expander Plant 5 unit at Opal Plant to remove a freeze in the gas-to-gas exchanger, according to a posting on the Kern River bulletin board. Estimated impact will be 90 MMcf for Thursday’s gas day, WFS said. Barring unforeseen delays, nominations can return to pre-maintenance levels beginning Friday, it added.

Despite predictions that glutted markets and low prices will keep arctic natural gas in the deep freeze, a start has been made on regulatory review of the Canadian part of the Denali Project’s proposed Alaska pipeline.

Despite predictions that glutted markets and low prices will keep arctic natural gas in the deep freeze, a start has been made on regulatory review of the Canadian part of the Denali Project’s proposed Alaska pipeline.

After falling 20.3 cents on Wednesday and Thursday despite a winter freeze in a number of U.S. regions and a fairly bullish storage withdrawal, January natural gas futures continued the push on Friday by putting in a new low at $5.267 in afternoon trading before settling at $5.334, down 21.4 cents from Thursday’s finish and 15.4 cents lower than the previous week’s close.

After waiting for 30 years, the pro-industry faction in Canada’s Northwest Territories refuses to let rising costs and prolonged regulatory dueling freeze the hopes for an arctic natural gas production and pipeline development.

After waiting for 30 years, the pro-industry faction in Canada’s Northwest Territories refuses to let rising costs and prolonged regulatory dueling freeze the hopes for an arctic natural gas production and pipeline development.

Following a topsy-turvy week of trade that featured a deep freeze in the Midwest and East and a mammoth 259 Bcf storage withdrawal report for the week ended Feb. 9, March natural gas futures on Friday explored higher price levels. The prompt month put in a high of $7.620 before settling at $7.503, up 21.1 cents on the day but 32.4 cents lower than the previous Friday’s close.