Kicks

Turning attention away from the subject of increased domestic natural gas production and increased imports for a change, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham on Wednesday launched the Department of Energy’s (DOE) public awareness campaign to educate businesses, homeowners and consumers on ways they can cut energy bills by practicing smart energy use.

Kern River Gas Transmission last week officially kicked off construction on its $1.2 billion, 900 MMcf/d 2003 expansion project, which received a final certificate from FERC on July 17 (see NGI, July 22 ). The project will more than double Kern River’s current transportation capacity, providing much needed market access for burgeoning gas supplies coming from supply basins in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

Kern River Gas Transmission officially kicked off construction on its $1.2 billion, 900 MMcf/d 2003 expansion project, which received a final certificate from FERC on July 17 (see Daily GPI, July 18). The project will more than double Kern River’s current transportation capacity, providing much needed market access for burgeoning gas supplies coming from supply basins in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

Tossing aside arguments by an Arizona regulatory commission representative who came to San Francisco to articulate his state’s case, California regulators Thursday unanimously agreed to adopt proposed rules for mandating that the state’s major gas and electric utilities bid to keep up to 725 MMcf/d of firm capacity on El Paso Natural Gas serving the state to prevent it from being shifted to neighboring Arizona.

In a highly unusual, if not unprecedented, move, FERC announced Friday that it will reconsider its decision to allow Williams to reactivate and expand its Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal plant in Maryland, even before rehearing petitions are due at the Commission.

Florida Gas Transmission has started construction on its PhaseIV expansion project, which includes a new pipeline to Fort Myersfrom Tampa. The project, initiating in Hillsboro and Lee Counties,FL, will provide 197 MMcf/d of incremental firm transportationservice on an annual basis and will extend FGT’s 4,700-mileexisting transmission system by 139 miles.

Florida Gas Transmission has started construction on its PhaseIV expansion project, which includes a new pipeline to Fort Myersfrom Tampa. The project, initiating in Hillsboro and Lee Counties,FL, will provide 197 MMcf/d of incremental firm transportationservice on an annual basis and will extend FGT’s 4,700-mileexisting transmission system by 139 miles.

The Florida Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to thedevelopment of merchant power in the state in a 6-1 decision issuedThursday, reversing the state Public Service Commission’sauthorization for Duke Energy’s construction of a 514 MW powerplant at New Smyrna Beach.

The first of a series of industry meetings aimed at addressingthe controversial issues in the mega-notice of proposed rulemaking(NOPR) and notice of inquiry (NOI) gets underway in Houston today.Many are hoping the sessions will provide the way for the bickeringsegments of the gas industry to achieve common ground on some ofthe top issues posed by FERC.