Hired

Cheniere Energy Inc. said Tuesday it has hired HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. and Petrie Parkman & Co. to assist the company in arranging project funding for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification facilities that it plans to build in Corpus Christi, TX, and Sabine Pass, LA.

Entergy Corp. has hired Jerald V. Halvorsen to head its Washington, DC, government relations office. Halvorsen will be retiring later this year as president of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the interstate gas pipeline industry’s main advocacy group in the nation’s capitol. He has been president of INGAA since 1987. Halvorsen will join Entergy as vice president, federal governmental affairs on Sept. 1 and will succeed S. M. Henry Brown Jr., who will retire Dec. 1. Prior to joining INGAA, Halvorsen was vice president for government affairs of the American Trucking Association. He also served as senior vice president for congressional affairs of the National Coal Association. He began his career with Consolidated Edison Co. in New York City in 1969, serving as coordinator of environmental affairs. Entergy owns and operates power plants with about 30,000 MW of electric generating capacity and delivers electricity to 2.6 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Guardian Pipeline has hired H.C. Price Co. to build its 142-mile, 750 MMcf/d pipeline system in Illinois and Wisconsin. H.C. Price, of Dallas, was selected in a competitive bidding process and will construct the pipeline in one spread, in which work will be done by a single construction crew over the entire length of the project. Murphy Bros. Inc., of Moline, IL, was selected to build Guardian’s 22,225-hp compressor station near Joliet. “This signing of the project’s main construction contractors keeps Guardian on track to meet its scheduled in-service date this November,” said George Hass, Guardian project manager. Land acquisition work is continuing in both Wisconsin and Illinois. Construction is expected to begin on the compressor station in March and on the pipeline June 1, with completion and operation of the pipeline expected by November. Guardian will transport gas from interconnections with Alliance, Northern Border, Midwestern Gas Transmission and Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America at the Chicago hub near Joliet to northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin markets. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has approved a lateral pipeline connecting Guardian with the Wisconsin Gas system. Currently Guardian Pipeline has firm precedent agreements with Wisconsin Gas and others to transport 662 MMcf/d (88% of design capacity) when the pipeline goes into service in November. Guardian is a partnership of CMS Energy, Wisconsin Gas parent company WICOR, and Viking Gas Transmission, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc.

Guardian Pipeline has hired H.C. Price Co. to build its 142-mile, 750 MMcf/d pipeline system in Illinois and Wisconsin. H.C. Price, of Dallas, was selected in a competitive bidding process and will construct the pipeline in one spread, in which work will be done by a single construction crew over the entire length of the project. Murphy Bros. Inc., of Moline, IL, was selected to build Guardian’s 22,225-hp compressor station near Joliet.

The State of Alaska has hired Petrie Parkman & Co. of Denver to act as a financial adviser to evaluate the state’s potential participation in owning an interest in or financing a North Slope natural gas pipeline project. Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles has proposed federal legislation that would mandate a natural gas pipeline along the Alaska Highway, and called for federal tax incentives to enable companies to bring North Slope gas to market. Petrie Parkman will assist the Alaska commissioner of revenue in preparing a comprehensive report addressing options for and analysis of the state’s potential participation in a gas pipe project. The assistance was provided under the authority of Alaska’s Senate Bill 158. The report, when completed, would be presented to the governor and the state legislature and would include an examination of each of the announced North Slope pipe proposals. The report also would analyze whether and how the state could take an equity ownership or other financial interest in the project.

The State of Alaska has hired Petrie Parkman & Co. of Denver to act as a financial adviser to evaluate the state’s potential participation in owning an interest in or financing a North Slope natural gas pipeline project. Last week, Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles proposed federal legislation that would mandate a natural gas pipeline along the Alaska Highway, and called for federal tax incentives to enable companies to bring North Slope gas to market (see Daily GPI, Sept. 4).

Merrill Lynch has been hired to serve as Avista Labs’ investmentbank and strategic adviser to evaluate the best ways to maximizethe shareholder value of its fuel cell technology. Avista Corp. ofSpokane, WA made the announcement yesterday, and said that MerrillLynch will “consider all possible options, including financialrestructuring and an initial public offering.” Avista Labs recentlyreceived a comprehensive patent securing the exclusive modulardesign of its PEM fuel cell system, a “plug and play” feature thatallows fuel cell cartridges to be easily removed and replacedwithout interrupting power. The Labs arm of Avista Corp. is a jointdevelopment agreement with UOP to integrate its fuel cell with thenatural gas and propane fuel processor systems of UOP. Later thisyear, field testing will begin for the integrated units of UOP.Currently, Avista Labs is testing its fuel cell subracks in severallocations across the country, including Arizona Public Service inPhoenix, the Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center in Johnstown,PA., Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, FL, and as back-uppower within the Avista Utilities service territory in the PacificNorthwest.

New York-based Sithe Energies, a privately held leadingindependent power producer, said it has hired Goldman, Sachs &Co. as an advisor in its previously announced intention to sell thecompany.

New York-based Sithe Energies, a privately held leadingindependent power producer, said it has hired Goldman, Sachs &Co. as an advisor in its previously announced intention to sell thecompany.