Improving

Former BP plc operating chief Doug Suttles on Tuesday took over as CEO and president of Encana Corp., one of the largest natural gas producers in North America.

BG Group strategy going forward will be to run with a simplified organization while improving operations and portfolio management. Exploration is at the “heart” of what BG Group does, Group CEO Chris Finlayson said last week. But global liquefied natural gas (LNG) also is crucial to growth, he said.

BG Group strategy going forward will be to run with a simplified organization while improving operations and portfolio management. Exploration is at the “heart” of what BG Group does, Group Chief Executive Chris Finlayson said Tuesday. But global liquefied natural gas (LNG) also is crucial to growth, he said.

California’s electricity grid operator and Portland, OR-based PacifiCorp announced Tuesday an agreement to create a real-time market mechanism for improving the dispatching of power — a widespread efficiency improvement in the electric generation sector that could have lasting impact on demand for natural gas throughout the West.

The impact of shale gas and tight oil energy on global energy markets, as well as improving competitiveness in U.S. manufacturing, have upended global competition, according to IHS Inc.

Baker Hughes Inc.’s North American activity is predicted to be steady this year compared with 2012, but customers still remain cautious about what’s ahead, CEO Martin Craighead said Wednesday. Canadian projects also are posing “near-term risks,” he said.

The impact of shale gas and tight oil energy on global energy markets, as well as improving competitiveness in U.S. manufacturing, have upended global competition, according to IHS Inc.

NFR Energy LLC has closed two private deals worth a combined $736 million to acquire assets in the Anadarko Basin and Eagle Ford Shale. The company also announced that First Reserve Corp. has increased its interest in the parent company, NFR Holdings LLC, to 99.7% and NFR is to be renamed Sabine Oil & Gas LLC.

Weather conditions along the Gulf Coast were gradually improving Thursday as Isaac, which had reached the Louisiana coast as a Category 1 hurricane, weakened and moved into northern Louisiana, but oil and natural gas operators were being cautious about returning to evacuated facilities in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).