Lake

Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp. went out to bid earlier this month on four new compressors to complete its conversion work on the east-of-California portion of its 705-mile Southern Trails Pipeline from the San Juan Basin to the Long Beach port area of Southern California. The portion of the converted oil pipeline between the California border and the Four Corners Area in New Mexico will open June 1 next year, a Questar spokesman said Monday.

Energy East Enterprises (EEE) subsidiary Seneca Lake Storage, Inc. (SLSI) has filed plans with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility in depleted salt caverns in the Town of Reading, NY. Energy East Enterprises is a unit of Energy East Corp.

Energy East Enterprises (EEE) subsidiary Seneca Lake Storage, Inc. (SLSI) has filed plans with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility in depleted salt caverns in the Town of Reading, NY. Energy East Enterprises is a unit of Energy East Corp.

Albany, NY-based Seneca Lake Storage Inc. (SLSI), a subsidiary of Energy East Enterprises, plans to develop a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility in the depleted salt caverns located in Reading, NY, and has set an open season to accept non-binding requests for firm storage service from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30.

Although not giving up its search for customers in California, Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp.’s oil-to-natural-gas converted pipeline from the Four Corners of New Mexico remains stymied in operating its portion within California under a newly revised “peaking tariff” for Southern California Gas Co., according to Questar officials who have been analyzing the new rate established Aug. 2 by state regulators (see Daily Gas Price Index, Aug. 3). Questar is looking at alternative uses for the California portion of the approved interstate pipeline.

Albany, NY-based Seneca Lake Storage Inc. (SLSI), a subsidiary of Energy East Enterprises, plans to develop a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility in the depleted salt caverns located in Reading, NY, and has set an open season to accept non-binding requests for firm storage service from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30.

Columbia Gulf said last week it had resumed taking nominations atthe NGPL-South Pecan Lake, NGPL-Erath, NGPL-Chalkley and AEP-JeffersonIsland meter stations. Receipts at those points and others weresuspended in late January because they failed to comply with ColumbiaGulf’s enforcement of a heating value limit of 1,050 Btus per cubicfoot (see Daily GPI, Jan. 22).

The various owners of the Black Marlin Pipeline System, a75-mile long natural gas and condensate gathering system in theGulf of Mexico, have sold the line to Williams Field Services for$9.25 million. The line was purchased from Blue Dolphin Energy, a50% owner, MCNIC Pipeline & Processing Co., a 33.33% owner, andWBI Holdings, Inc., a 16.67% owner. The sale includes related shorefacilities servicing the High Island area. Ivar Siem, chairman ofprimary owner Blue Dolphin, said the company had purchased BlackMarlin in early 1999 “during a period when the system hadexperienced lower throughput volumes due to limited drillingactivity in the High Island area. Since then the activity level hasbeen very high and significant additional reserves have beendiscovered,” Siem added. “This is an opportunity for us to realizegood value for the asset. We can re-deploy a portion of the saleproceeds to other niche pipeline opportunities in the Gulf.”

Forcenergy Inc. reported a blowout yesterday on an exploratorywell at West Cameron Block 317, located 65 miles south of LakeCharles, LA, in the Gulf of Mexico. The blowout occurred duringcompletion operations, but it has not ignited. All personnel havebeen safely evacuated from the Marine Drilling Rig No. 4.Forcenergy has notified all of the proper governmental authoritiesand is cooperating fully with each respective agency.