Increases

Reluctantly and in the face of extraordinary pressure fromfinancial, utility and public officials, California regulatorsThursday took initial steps to unfreeze retail electricity ratesfor the state’s two largest investor owned utilities (IOUs) tobegin to cut into the $8 billion of debt dragging down the IOUssince mid-year. An unprecedented lobbying and public communicationseffort by the utilities preceded the action.

Although Canadian producers have been displaying theirtraditional optimism with expectations of steady growth in gasdeliverability and production, a new survey of 40 producers by theCanadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) shows that their capitalspending plans tell a different story.

Although Canadian producers have been displaying theirtraditional optimism with expectations of steady growth in gasdeliverability and production, a new survey of 40 producers by theCanadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) shows that their capitalspending plans tell a different story.

Apache Corp.’s third quarter results surpassed analysts’ profittarget by 11 cents mainly because of increases in gas and oilprices. Apache’s U.S. gas production grew 15% to 572 MMcf/d.. Thecompany’s earnings were $201.3 million, or $1.61 per share, morethan double the year-earlier profit of $67.8 million, or 59 centsper share. Revenues rose 83% to $624.6 million. Apache’s averagerealized price for oil was up 42% to $29.11/bbl and its U.S.natural gas prices were up 64% to $4.22/Mcf. During the quarter,the company completed acquisitions of producing properties in SouthTexas and the Permian Basin from Collins and Ware and in the Gulfof Mexico from Occidental Petroleum. On Oct. 9, Apache said itplanned to buy the Canadian assets of New Zealand’s FletcherChallenge Energy in a joint bid with Royal Dutch/Shell Group, whichplans to acquire the rest of the company. Regulators have blockedthe deal, but Shell and Apache hope to win approval for an amendedbid. Apache said the Fletcher deal would bring its oil and gasproperty acquisitions to about $1.5 billion this year.

The cash market finally shook off the price weakness that haddominated it since late last week as most points ranged from flatto up about a nickel Tuesday, with some in the Rockies/San JuanBasin achieving dime-plus gains. However, with traders still unableto perceive see any significant weather load on the horizon and thescreen falling more than a quarter, the cash firmness was expectedto be short-lived.

McMoRan Exploration has announced its Vermillion Block 196 #2exploratory well has revealed 70 feet of net oil and gas pay inthree sands between depths of 13,160 and 14,350 feet.

The cash market went quietly into the Labor Day weekend Friday,registering prices that ranged from flat to down about a dime inmost cases, but sprinkled with scattered upticks (concentrated inthe West) and a Southern California border crash to break up thepattern.

As a footnote to the wide-ranging issues emerging fromCalifornia’s electricity wars this summer, the City of Los AngelesDepartment of Water and Power (LADWP) Tuesday paid a record $14million penalty to regional air quality regulators as a result ofrunning its older, more polluting LA Basin generating plantsfull-out this summer. The heavy penalty points up an increasinglytenuous situation for merchant generators who are running out ofways to avoid exceeding their plants’ air emission limits.

Allegheny Energy’s $323 million acquisition of West Virginia-basedMountaineer Gas Co. (MGC) was completed on schedule thisweek. Allegheny Energy assumed the responsibility of Mountaineer GasCo.’s 11.7 Bcf of gas storage and 200,000 natural gas customers alongwith the company’s ownership rights from Energy Corp. of America (seeDaily GPI, Aug. 15).