Highest

Occidental Petroleum Corp. generated its highest reported earnings ever in the second quarter on robust energy prices and record oil and natural gas production. The Los Angeles-based producer earned $581 million ($1.48/share), compared with $374 million (98 cents/share) in 2Q2003. Production averaged 574,000 boe/d in the quarter, 6% higher than a year ago.

While some experts expect the economic slowdown to shave significant gas demand from the market this winter, Raymond James & Associates believes there will be a substantial shift toward greater year-over-year gas demand comparisons by mid-December. The investment bank said that high prices last winter drove about 8-10 Bcf/d of demand out of the market in the first quarter of 2001. At least half of that demand should be back by the first quarter of 2002, it said.

While some experts expect the economic slowdown to shave significant gas demand from the market this winter, Raymond James & Associates believes there will be a substantial shift toward greater year-over-year gas demand comparisons by mid-December. The investment bank said that high prices last winter drove about 8-10 Bcf/d of demand out of the market in the first quarter of 2001. At least half of that demand should be back by the first quarter of 2002, it said.

After climbing to its highest level since May 24, natural gas futures were sent spiraling lower Tuesday as traders weighed the impact of continued mild weather and an increasingly bearish storage situation. The prompt July contract took the selling squarely on the chin, tumbling 17.7 cents to close at $3.892. The remaining summer strip did not fair much better, closing 17.4 cents lower at $3.984.

Natural gas drilling in the shallow Central Gulf of Mexico drewthe most bids, which were mostly from U.S. independents, in thisweek’s Minerals Management Service lease sale. MMS reported that60% of the bids were for shallow water tracts in acreage less than200 meters deep, considered the best places for quick gasproduction, with total bidding of $227.654 million.

Except for declines at several of the highest-priced westernpoints, the cash market stayed in an upbeat mood Friday. Gainsranged from about a dime to more than 30 cents, with most between20 and 30 cents. Malin joined the three primary Pacific Northwestpoints (Sumas, Stanfield and Kingsgate) in falling from their loftyheights.

Saying that “corporate separation is our highest priority,”American Electric Power’s CEO E. Linn Draper announced last weekthat the company is undergoing a restructuring, and will place morefocus on its U.S. wholesale power generation, marketing and tradingbusinesses. It also will scrap previously announced plans to expandits overseas markets.

Saying that “corporate separation is our highest priority,”American Electric Power’s CEO E. Linn Draper announced this weekthat the company is undergoing a restructuring, and will place morefocus on its U.S. wholesale power generation, marketing and tradingbusinesses. It also will scrap previously announced plans to expandits overseas markets.

About 50,000 Georgia retail gas customers will be sold to thehighest bidder at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday in an Atlanta bankruptcycourt following a judge’s decision yesterday to fairly distributethe customers of bankrupt Titan Energy. The minimum bid will be $35per customer, or $1.75 million, increasing in dollar-per-customerincrements ($50,000 total).