Making

Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) appear to be making another push into the spotlight as Westport Innovations Inc. and BC Gas Inc. reported last Thursday that their BCG eFuels Inc. joint venture has merged with Seal Beach, CA-based Pickens Fuel Corp. (PFC) to form the largest natural gas fuels provider for NGVs in North America.

Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) appear to be making another push into the spotlight as Westport Innovations Inc. and BC Gas Inc. reported on Thursday that their BCG eFuels Inc. joint venture has merged with Seal Beach, CA-based Pickens Fuel Corp. (PFC) to form the largest natural gas fuels provider for NGVs in North America.

Acting on recent Ohio legislation aimed at making natural gas customer-choice programs in the state more “consumer-friendly,” the recently formed Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), the nation’s largest public energy aggregated buying group, reported that it has entered into a one-year contract with Shell Energy for natural gas services to residents of the 95 NOPEC communities.

Acting on recent Ohio legislation aimed at making natural gas customer-choice programs in the state more “consumer-friendly,” the recently formed Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), the nation’s largest public energy aggregated buying group, reported that it has entered into a one-year contract with Shell Energy for natural gas services to residents of the 95 NOPEC communities.

Tuesdays have been a natural gas bull’s savior as of late. Making it three in a row, futures rebounded yesterday as traders once again were in a buying mood ahead of Wednesday’s weekly storage report. Fighting against a gap lower open and a quick move down to $4.05, buyers stepped up their efforts mid-morning and watched as prices bubbled higher throughout much of the rest of the session. Although small, the one-cent advance leading to yesterday’s $4.123 closing price was claimed as a victory by bulls who have found little to like about this market thus far in 2001.

Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Wednesday unveiled legislation seeking to promote nuclear power as a viable energy source by making it eligible to receive the same benefits as other zero emissions power generating facilities and spurring utilities to complete unfinished nuclear reactors, among other things.

After five years in the making, Alliance Pipeline officiallyopens for business today, adding 1.325 Bcf/d of new firmtransportation capacity from British Columbia and Alberta to theChicago gas market hub. The pipeline company held a grand openingceremony yesterday. “Our new, state-of-the-art pipeline systemprovides Western Canadian natural gas producers the opportunity toexpand their markets in both the Midwest United States and EasternCanada by offering them incremental transportation capacity througha real, competitive choice,” said CEO Norm Gish. “It will provideend-users in these market areas with a new supply conduit for thecleanest-burning hydrocarbon fuel. It will stimulate theexploration and producing sector in Western Canada resulting inenhanced business and employment opportunities in many communities.And, it will significantly contribute revenues to many governmentsdirectly in the form of taxes and indirectly in the form ofroyalties through increases in gas production.” COO Allan Edgeworthnoted that while the scale of the 2,300 mile system is significant,”it is only capable of transporting 10% of Alberta’s and BritishColumbia’s total gas production destined for export to eitherEastern Canada or the United States. The Alliance pipeline sponsorsinclude Coastal (14.4%), Enbridge (21.4%), Fort Chicago EnergyPartners LP (26.0%), Williams (14.6%) and Westcoast (23.6%).

Phillips Petroleum reported on Tuesday that it is making numerous management changes and creating a new worldwide gas division to better focus on the company’s worldwide gas strategy. Laura Sugg, previously the new business ventures manager for the corporation, has been elected to the position of vice president of worldwide gas, effective April 1. Joseph High will make the move from his current position as vice president of human resources for the components and packaged applications group of Rockwell Automation to the post of vice president of human resources for the corporation, effective April 15. Don Duncan, manager of federal relations since 1993, has been elected vice president of government relations, effective April 1. Former assistant treasurer Jeff Sheets, effective April 1, took his newly elected position of vice president and treasurer. Fran Vallejo, currently strategic transactions and planning manager in the company’s corporate strategy and development group, has been elected assistant treasurer, effective May 1. Edd Grigsby, vice president of investor and public relations, has announced that he will retire after 39 years of service on July 1. Effective May 1, Grigsby will continue to be responsible for public relations, but he will also be on special assignment to Jim Mulva, chairman and CEO. Clayton Reasor, currently commercial services resource area manager for Phillips’ Norway division, has been named manager of investor relations beginning on May 1.

El Paso reported Friday its system integrity was threatened byhigh linepack and it was making maximum injections at theWashington Ranch storage facility. The pipeline said it had imposedcustody limits at delivery points that are not taking scheduledquantities, and if necessary will limit overdeliveries at receiptpoints.