Hoping

Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Shell) is hoping that a new jointventure with Commerce One, a leading provider of global e-commercesolutions, will help lower its procurement costs substantially. Thetwo companies announced a memorandum of understanding to form theyet-to-be-named company yesterday. The online marketplace isplanned to go live in the second quarter of the year, with stafffrom Shell, Commerce One and new recruits.

Traders hoping for unsubscribed El Paso capacity to reduceprices at the Southern California Border will be sorelydisappointed because of last week’s announcement that an unnamedshipper signed for 1.2 Bcf/d. The southwestern pipeline said itrecontracted all of its available firm capacity for a minimum of$37.5 million in revenues for 2000. The amount reflects an increaseof 7% over the annual average revenues generated from the Dynegydeal over the past two years. Dynegy paid $70 million for 1.3Bcf/d.

Hoping to stir up liquidity on its western gas futures contract,The Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT) filed Oct. 8 with theCommodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to convert the contractfrom flat-price to basis. The exchange plans to begin trading basisfutures with the February 2000 contract month upon CFTC approval.The expected start date of basis futures is Nov. 29.

Hoping to solidify the project’s shaky environmental status, Independence Pipeline Co., working with the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB), voluntarily agreed to a set of standards intended to protect Ohio’s environment from the construction and operation of the pipeline. The agreement, which was signed by the OPSB in early June, has been forwarded to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for consideration.

Hoping to solidify the project’s shaky environmental status,Independence Pipeline Co., working with the Ohio Power Siting Board(OPSB), voluntarily agreed to a set of standards last week intendedto protect Ohio’s environment from the construction and operationof the pipeline. The agreement, which was signed by the OPSB inearly June, has been forwarded to the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC) for consideration.

Shippers hoping to line up firm capacity to California on ElPaso better be ready to fight for it, according to Jerry Strange,El Paso director of transportation marketing.

Shippers hoping to line up California capacity coming open on ElPaso better be ready to fight for it, according to Jerry Strange,El Paso director of transportation marketing.

Hoping the second time is the charm, Duke subsidiary TexasEastern Transmission announced Wednesday an open season for 300,000Dth/d of firm capacity on its proposed Spectrum Pipeline project.The open season will last from May 7 to June 4.

Hoping the second time is the charm, Duke Energy announcedWednesday an open season for 300,000 Dth/d of firm capacity on itsproposed Spectrum Pipeline project. The open season will last fromMay 7 to June 4.