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The first cavern at the Golden Triangle Storage facility near Beaumont, TX, has entered initial commercial operations, AGL Resources said Thursday. Full commercial service of about 6 Bcf of working capacity is expected to begin after dewatering in December.

Operator Williams Field Services (WFS) said the Opal Plant did not reach full production at the projected time Tuesday due to a delay in the turnaround time from a shutdown. Thus it was necessary to curtail nominations for Wednesday’s gas day to make up for the previous day’s shortfalls to downstream pipes, WFS said. LaBarge Compressor Station remained down, it added, and Enterprise “had issues at Bridger Station, which resulted in a significantly reduced volume to the inlet of Opal Plant.” There was no estimated time for Bridger Station start-up, WFS said Wednesday.

The Interior Department agency that oversees offshore rig safety said Friday it has launched a full investigation into the fire Thursday aboard the Mariner Energy Inc. offshore production platform.

Bill Barrett Corp. and several environmental groups cheered a decision Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to authorize full-field development of the natural gas-rich West Tavaputs Plateau in the Uinta Basin of Utah. The area holds an estimated 324 Bcfe of proved and 1.3 Tcfe of proved, probable and possible natural gas reserves on more than 40,000 acres.

Bill Barrett Corp. and several environmental groups cheered a decision Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to authorize full-field development of the natural gas-rich West Tavaputs Plateau in the Uinta Basin of Utah. The area holds an estimated 324 Bcfe of proved and 1.3 Tcfe of proved, probable and possible natural gas reserves on more than 40,000 acres.

Due to an imbalance on upstream pipelines and requests for drafting gas that has been banked over the last several days, Southwest Gas issued a Hold Burn to Scheduled Quantities notice Wednesday. Southwest asked shippers “to ensure that actual takes meet or exceed scheduled supplies, which will assist in clearing the positive imbalance that has been created on the upstream pipelines. Also, positive daily nominations for imbalance paybacks from customers to Southwest have been eliminated” effective Wednesday until further notice. If current conditions persist, Southwest said, it may be required to issue an OFO.

Spooked by the potential of coming in Monday to a full-blown hurricane churning in the Gulf of Mexico, natural gas futures traders on Friday pushed the July contract to a high of $4.893 before the contract closed the regular session at $4.861, up 11.3 cents from Thursday’s finish but 13.6 cents below the previous week’s close.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which is a partner in BP plc’s doomed Macondo well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM), said Thursday full-year 2010 sales volumes and projected capital spending remain unchanged, but it may shift money to onshore projects in its portfolio.

Capping a full day of debate on the financial regulatory reform bill Wednesday, the Senate fought back Republican efforts to strike a provision that would force large banks and financial institutions to spin off their lucrative derivatives business.