Holding

EnergySouth Inc., a holding company for utility and storagecompanies in the Southeast, recently announced an expansion planfor the storage facilities of its subsidiary Bay Gas Storage Co.The plan calls for an additional salt cavern to be developed, whichwill increase the total working gas capacity of the site from 2.4Bcf to 6 Bcf. An open season will be held from July 15 until Aug.31 to help assess the final size and shape of the expansion.

EnergySouth Inc., a holding company for utility and storagecompanies in the Southeast, announced an expansion plan Friday forthe storage facilities of its subsidiary Bay Gas Storage Co. Theplan calls for an additional salt cavern to be developed, whichwill increase the total working gas capacity of the site from 2.4Bcf to 6 Bcf. An open season will be held from July 15 until Aug.31 to help assess the final size and shape of the expansion.

Wisconsin Energy Corp., a Milwaukee, WI-based utility holdingcompany, kicked off the merger merry-go-round last week when itannounced plans to acquire WICOR Inc., the parent of a rival gasdistributor, for about $1.51 billion in cash, stock and debt,creating a major Midwest energy concern and the 13th largestutility in the nation.

A holding pattern developed Thursday at the majority of tradingpoints, which were flat to up or down a penny or two for an overallreading of flatness. The market was hardly a model of consistency,though, as price movement ranged from about two cents lower in theRockies to increases of about a nickel or more for the Appalachianpipes and Northeast citygates. High temperatures in the mid 80sThursday in the dry Northeast were a close match for those in therain-drenched South.

Xcel Energy Inc. will be the name of the holding company createdby the merger of Denver-based New Century Energies and NorthernStates Power Co. of Minneapolis.

Xcel Energy Inc. will be the name of the holding company createdby the merger of Denver-based New Century Energies and NorthernStates Power Co. of Minneapolis.

KN Energy signed Nicor Gas of Illinois up for 300 MMcf/d ofcapacity on its Horizon Pipeline and began an open season for theproject.

Sempra Energy is banking on a belief in the traditionalregulated pipes and wires business, but with a couple new twists.The holding company for San Diego Gas & Electric and SouthernCalifornia Gas is literally breaking new ground in North America,while buying into established utilities as far south as theSouthern Cone of South America.

Sempra Energy is banking on a belief in the traditionalregulated pipes and wires business but with a couple of new twists.The holding company for San Diego Gas &amp Electric and SouthernCalifornia Gas is literally breaking new ground in North America,while buying into established utilities as far south as theSouthern Cone of South America.