Illinois

FERC Wednesday gave Vector Pipeline LP the green light for a proposed compression expansion of its mainline system in Illinois and Michigan to respond to the increased demand for long-haul capacity between the U.S. and Canada.

Farmers from Iowa, school representatives from North Dakota, chemical manufacturing officials from Illinois and pulp and paper workers from Louisiana were paraded up to a news conference microphone Wednesday to tell their stories about how high natural gas prices have hurt their businesses. The Consumer Alliance for Energy Security wants Congress to know there is pain being felt in every sector of the economy and new legislation should be passed to lift offshore drilling moratoria and increase gas supply.

Sixty percent of the active retail gas sales plans offered by unregulated retail marketers in Illinois are bad deals that would have cost customers more money than sticking with their state utility supplier, according to an analysis done by the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a state watchdog group created by the state legislature.

In a rehearing decision Wednesday, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reduced the annual base rate revenue increase granted to Nicor Gas to $49.7 million from $54.2 million. Nicor estimates that the shift of certain revenues and credits between base rates and the purchase gas adjustment rider will reduce its annual net revenue increase to about $30.2 million, compared to $34.7 million under a prior order issued last fall. Appeals of the original order have been filed by Nicor and other parties in the state appellate courts.

Nicor Inc. said Monday that the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) granted a motion last week filed by its gas distribution company, Nicor Gas, to adjust its base rates to recover $54.2 million, compared to the $48.8 million allowed under tariffs previously filed on Oct. 4. Because the order shifted certain revenues and credits between base rates and the purchase gas adjustment rider, the company estimates that the actual annual net revenue increase will be about $34.7 million under the newly revised tariffs, compared to $29.3 million under the previously filed tariffs.

The attorneys general of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin sent letters last week to seven natural gas utilities requesting projections on natural gas prices and demand for the upcoming heating season. The attorneys general want utilities to explain the measures they are taking to protect consumers from rising gas prices.

Industrial gas customers and Illinois utilities have jumped to the defense of Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) in the wake of a FERC order, which they argue appears to restrict the ability of the Kinder Morgan pipeline to keep potentially dangerous high-Btu content natural gas from entering its system in production and market areas.

Industrial gas customers and Illinois utilities have jumped to the defense of Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) in the wake of a FERC order, which they argue appears to have restricted the ability of the Kinder Morgan pipeline to keep potentially dangerous high-Btu content natural gas from entering its system in production and market areas.

Constellation Energy Group said it purchased Blackhawk Energy Services, a full service provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in Illinois, and Kaztex Energy Management, a full service provider of natural gas to customers in Wisconsin, from Wisconsin Energy Corp. The two companies serve 1,100 customers, and together with other recent purchases, make Constellation the nation’s largest competitive supplier of energy to large customers. The companies extend Constellation’s commercial and industrial base in the Midwest, noted Thomas F. Brady, senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at Constellation. “With the addition of these two companies to our portfolio, Constellation Energy’s total natural gas supply for large customers now exceeds 250 Bcf/year, significantly enhancing our position in this competitive marketplace.” Since 2002, Constellation has continued to increase its load serving business through the acquisitions of NewEnergy, Alliance, Fellon-McCord, and now Blackhawk and Kaztex.