Leading

New York-based Sithe Energies, a privately held leadingindependent power producer, said it has hired Goldman, Sachs &Co. as an advisor in its previously announced intention to sell thecompany.

New York-based Sithe Energies, a privately held leadingindependent power producer, said it has hired Goldman, Sachs &Co. as an advisor in its previously announced intention to sell thecompany.

Michael L. Williams has been named chairman of the TexasRailroad Commission (TRC). He replaces previous chairman TonyGarza. Williams is leading an agency-industry review of thecommission’s regulatory framework. He said, “the world energyindustry is changing dramatically – government needs to change itsapproach as well. With that in mind, the commission can and shouldoperate to allow Texas producers to act faster, operate less costlyand with more flexibility.

With its deal to acquire Poco Petroleums for $2.5 billion, Burlington Resources could be leading a charge of U.S. E&P companies heading to Canada for relatively cheap gas assets at a time when Canada is expected to play a large role in meeting strong gas demand growth.

Georgia Natural Gas Services (GNGS) has equaled or even may haveovertaken Scana as Georgia’s leading marketer in terms of pipelinecapacity share, a GNGS executive said on Monday. With 30% of thepipeline capacity, GNGS is in line to be assigned another 120,000customers when the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC)determines random assignment tomorrow.

LG&E Energy Corp. positioned itself to take advantage of theexpanding pipeline construction industry last Friday by purchasingCRC Holdings Corp., parent of the pipeline construction equipmentcompany CRC-Evans Pipeline International, for a total of $83.5million. The deal closed last Friday. No layoffs are expected.

With a strong push from the leading producer offshore ofCanada’s East Coast, an intense development effort is under way ona new marine technology intended to tap natural gas on the GrandBanks of Newfoundland sooner than anyone now thinks possible.Andrew Adams, vice-president in charge of Mobil Oil Canada’sNewfoundland exploration and production business unit, told anindustry conference in St. John’s the technique “looks like it hasgreat potential.”

With a strong push from the leading producer offshore ofCanada’s East Coast, an intense development effort is under way ona new marine technology intended to tap natural gas on the GrandBanks of Newfoundland sooner than anyone now thinks possible.Andrew Adams, vice-president in charge of Mobil Oil Canada’sNewfoundland exploration and production business unit, told anindustry conference in St. John’s the technique “looks like it hasgreat potential.”

Don’t get sick of merger-mania quite yet, warns All Star Oilanalyst Fadel Gheit. Burlington Resources is leading the next waveof attractive independent oil and gas producers that are ripe fortakeover, he claims.