Lake

BP Energy Co.’s ability to market natural gas in the western United States has improved with the completion of its acquisition of Salt Lake City-based marketer Wasatch Energy LLC. The acquisition was announced in December (see NGI, Dec. 25, 2006). The deal, for an undisclosed amount, gives BP Energy all of Wasatch’s natural gas business and assets, including commercial and industrial sales contracts and producer services contracts. Wasatch’s 42 employees also were offered the opportunity to transfer to BP Energy. Wasatch has a portfolio of 350,000 MMBtu/d of gas purchase, transportation and sales activity across 10 western states that serve about 500 commercial and industrial customers and 100 producers. Its sales offices are located in New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, and California.

BP Energy Co.’s ability to market natural gas in the western United States has improved with the completion of its acquisition of Salt Lake City-based marketer Wasatch Energy LLC. The acquisition was announced in December (see Daily GPI, Dec. 22, 2006).

February natural gas futures hit the ground running Monday following a weekend forecast for some extended cold throughout the eastern half of the United States. After gapping higher to open Monday’s trading well above psychological resistance at $7, the prompt month put in a high of $7.340 before settling at $7.319, up 43.3 cents from Friday’s close.

A federal district court in Salt Lake City late Wednesday handed the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a defeat in its fight to open up more federal lands to oil and natural gas leasing, ruling that BLM violated federal environmental laws when it sold leases on 16 parcels of so-called “wilderness-quality lands” in southern Utah.

Rainfall running almost 165% above normal so far in 2006 has triggered land movement between Washougal and Willard in the Blue Lake area of Washington state at approximately Mile Post 1192, Northwest said Friday. “Strain gauges installed in this segment have registered steady increases in stress on the pipeline in this area,” the pipeline added. “Although the stress levels require remediation soon, they are not such that immediate action is needed.” In order to ensure safety and reliability in this segment, Northwest plans to blow down and excavate the affected area to reduce line stress. It anticipates there will be no physical flow through the area for Wednesday’s gas day. “Based upon current weather forecasts and operating conditions, Northwest does not anticipate primary impacts to customers. Northwest will work with its interconnects and use its Jackson Prairie inventory in an attempt to eliminate customer impacts. However, if net nominations north through the Washougal Compressor [Station] increase significantly over the currently scheduled volume of 386,000 Dth/d, Northwest may be forced to declare a Deficiency Period. Customers can help mitigate market impacts by buying gas at Sumas,” the pipeline said. For the Feb. 22-24 gas days Northwest will only schedule primary nominations north through either the Roosevelt or Washougal Compressor Stations. If the stress on the line accelerates, remediation work may begin earlier than currently planned, it said. A Stage II entitlement remained in place until further notice.

Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp. reports its Rocky Mountain exploration/production has stepped up substantially, compared with a year earlier, in the Pinedale (WY) Anticline, and it reaffirmed its guidance for E&P operations this year at 112-114 Bcfe. Questar made the announcement as part of an investor tour Tuesday of its Pinedale operations.

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a customer-specific low-inventory OFO for Thursday.

Sendout capacity at the Trunkline LNG facility near Lake Charles, LA is limited to 700 MMcf/d until further notice due to two vaporizers being taken out of service for unscheduled repairs, the company said Friday.

Tennessee reported identifying a leak on the 500-1 line at valve 526-1A, and effective Sunday morning had required two Lake Washington Dehydration meters (#010555 and #101596) to shut in until further notice. Shippers accessing those meters were allowed to keep nominations in place for Monday’s gas day, but were required to reduce their nominations to zero for Tuesday’s Timely Cycle nominations. The pipeline declared a force majeure in conjunction with the event.