Keeping

Showing a carrot, but keeping a “stick” in reserve, CaliforniaGov. Gray Davis Friday outlined for federal regulators steps hewill pursue to fix the state’s ailing wholesale electricity market,stopping short of proposing a state takeover but hinting he will gofurther if federal measures fall short.

Showing a carrot, but keeping a “stick” in reserve, CaliforniaGov. Gray Davis Friday outlined for federal regulators steps hewill pursue to fix the state’s ailing wholesale electricity market,stopping short of proposing a state takeover, but hinting he willgo further if federal measures fall short.

Although none of the major merchant generators in Californiawill talk about pulling back from the nation’s largest electricitymarket, they are not happy with some of the proposals that haverecently landed in the federal regulators’ lap advocating pricecaps and cost-based ratemaking, at least for interim periods.Several generators noted this week they are watching the situationclosely and intend to be heard at the federal level as well asamong the California energy policymakers.

Although none of the major merchant generators in Californiawill talk about pulling back from the nation’s largest electricitymarket, they are not happy with some of the proposals that haverecently landed in the federal regulators’ lap advocating pricecaps and cost-based ratemaking, at least for interim periods.Several generators noted this week they are watching the situationclosely and intend to be heard at the federal level as well asamong the California energy policymakers.

Pipeline companies are having a hard time keeping up with therapidly growing coal-bed methane production in the Powder RiverBasin. Coastal Corp.’s Wyoming Interstate Company just put itsMedicine Bow lateral into service last November and the companyalready is filing plans for a second expansion, which will addanother 675,000 Dth/d of firm capacity, bringing the total to morethan 1 Bcf/d.

Pipeline companies are having a hard time keeping up with therapidly growing coal-bed methane production in the Powder RiverBasin. Coastal Corp.’s Wyoming Interstate Company just put itsMedicine Bow lateral into service last November and the companyalready is filing plans for a second expansion, which will addanother 675,000 Dth/d of firm capacity, bringing the total to morethan 1 Bcf/d.

Keeping with the company’s self-imposed completion date, Houston-based Apache closed the deal on its previously announced $385 million acquisition of an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary (see NGI, Aug. 7).

Keeping with the company’s self-imposed completion date,Houston-based Apache closed the deal on its previously announced $385million acquisition of an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary (see DailyGPI, Aug. 3). The subsidiary which ownsinterests on the Outer Continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico will befinanced under a two-part agreement. Part of the cost will be paid upfront, and the remaining cost will be paid for in futureyears. Included in the sale, are properties in 32 fields, half of themoperated, on 93 blocks with total proved reserves of 56.8 millionbarrels of oil equivalent. Net production of the properties throughyearend are expected to yield an average of 107 MMcf/d and 7,800 bblof oil a day. The proved reserves have an estimated six year reservelife.

In keeping with the consolidation of the natural gas industry,the boards of directors of GRI (formerly Gas Research Institute)and the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT), the leading energyresearch organizations, last week announced they approved inprinciple a combination of the two organizations. The boards areexpected to meet again today (April 24) to give their final stampof approval to the deal.