Fuel

Customers of Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power could be bringing inthe New Year in the dark if FERC doesn’t step in and order and theutility’s power supplier to keep the lights on past the bewitchinghour of midnight.

Nearly half of the U.S. households with natural gas servicealready can or soon will be able to buy their fuel from acompetitive supplier, demonstrating how quickly competition isgrowing in the natural gas industry, according to a study by theAmerican Gas Association.

Nearly half of the U.S. households with natural gas servicealready can or soon will be able to buy their fuel from acompetitive supplier, demonstrating how quickly competition isgrowing in the natural gas industry, according to a study by theAmerican Gas Association.

Continuing its climb for the sixth day in a row yesterday onhurricane news and hot weather in the Northeast andMidcontinent/Midwest, September gas futures posted a 6.1-cent gainand ended the regular trading session at $4.409/MMBtu. The Octobercontract posted a 6.6 cent gain to $4.410 and November added 6cents to close at $4.450. Volume was 67,152.

Calling a natural gas supply shortage in the coming year “a veryreal possibility,” Dr. Bruce M. Bell, chairman of the Mid-ContinentOil & Gas Association of Oklahoma, said there is an “urgentneed” for increased drilling activity, particularly in Oklahoma.But to increase the drilling activity you need more people, andthat shortage is directly related to the natural gas shortage. Sortof like a Catch 22.

Calling a natural gas shortage in the coming year “a very realpossibility,” Dr. Bruce M. Bell, chairman of the Mid-Continent Oil& Gas Association of Oklahoma said there is an “urgent need”for increased drilling activity, particularly in Oklahoma. But toincrease the drilling activity you need more people, and thatshortage is directly related to the natural gas shortage. Sort oflike a Catch 22.

Through a new tolling deal Southern Company Energy Marketingwill have the exclusive right to supply fuel to and receive powerfrom United American Energy Corp.’s 82 MW gas-fired power plant inLowell, MA.

Through a new tolling deal Southern Company Energy Marketingwill have the exclusive right to supply fuel to and receive powerfrom United American Energy Corp.’s 82 MW gas-fired power plant inLowell, MA. Southern will market and trade electricity from theplant in the New England Power Pool. Terms of the deal were notreleased.

Gas restructuring filings made last week with the PennsylvaniaPublic Utility Commission by Penn Fuel Gas and PECO Energy Co. haveset the stage for only the fourth state in the country to providestatewide access to the retail gas market. Out of the 22 stateswith gas utilities employing pilot programs, only New Mexico, WestVirginia and New York allow gas customers statewide to choose theirgas suppliers so far. Pennsylvania regulators now say statewideunbundling will occur by July.