Heavily

Backers of Alliance Pipeline Project are going out on a bigfinancial limb by spending heavily to advance the proposed newCanadian export route to Chicago while still awaiting approval fromthe National Energy Board. Alliance president Dennis Cornelsonreported the international consortium of pipelines and producershas spent about C$200 million (US$145 million) to date. But to keepthe project moving quickly enough to fulfill its schedule, thegroup “will have to double that by the time regulatory approvalsare obtained.”

A unit of Enron and the heavily industrialized East SanFrancisco Bay area suburb of Pittsburg, CA, are teaming up with aninternational steel mill to pursue a $250 million, 500-megawattnatural gas-fired merchant power plant. By mid-May, Pittsburg’scity council will decide whether the city should take an interestin the privately financed proposal.

The March Nymex contract turned in another heavily tradedsession on Tuesday, but once again, volatility was virtuallynon-existent. Although the spot month managed a 3.7 cent gain to$2.216, the contract was held to a relatively tight 5.5 centtrading band. Not even the expiration of options yesterday couldpersuade traders to push March out of its recent rigid tradinglimits.