Increases

Connecting wellheads — particularly those in shale gas fields — to gas-fired turbines and burner tips will require billions in spending on midstream infrastructure over the next 25 years, according to a new report. Adding to the projected demand for new pipe, storage and other facilities is the increasing focus on liquids-rich gas production.

Domestic production increases as imports decline.

Water use in Marcellus Shale drilling “may not be as big an issue as we originally thought it was,” a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) official told a natural gas forum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Wednesday.

For a change Monday’s trading featured most Northeast locations taking big dives while prices recorded fairly strong increases at a large majority of other points. Most sections of the North American market can expect to endure some severe winter weather this week.

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) and 40 other state organizations have sent a letter to Gov.-elect Tom Corbett asking him to maintain the moratorium signed last year by Gov. Ed Rendell that prevents new leases for deep natural gas drilling in the state’s forests.

Most locations recorded price increases — a majority of them in double digits — Monday as frigid conditions were forecast in most of Canada and the U.S. Some low-linepack issues and wellhead freezeoffs contributed to firmness in the West, and the return of industrial load from a longer-than-usual holiday weekend was also a bullish factor. But the previous Wednesday’s 0.3-cent gain by expiring December futures was considered insignificant.

Gas-on-gas competition is a concept long established in the industry. How about shale-on-shale competition?

Citing increases in forecasted system-weighted temperatures, Northern Natural Gas said a System Underrun Limitation will be implemented in all market-area zones (ABC, D and EF) effective Saturday and running through at least Monday.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities faces changes for two rate credits in its purchased gas and power mechanisms that could result in slight increases for fuel purchasing costs, effective Nov. 1. A purchased gas cost adjustment and a power credit with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) emerged following rate hikes approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, which allows retail power charges to increase by 9.25% over three years and natural gas retail charges to rise 2.6% over two years. An initial power rate increase of 3.59% and a natural gas hike of 1.9% went into effect Oct. 1. Avista is proposing an average 4.3% increase for its Idaho gas customers, an average of about $2.75/month for a typical residential customer. The electric adjustment is due to BPA reducing the size of the federal power credit.