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FERC last week gave New York utilities a conditional go-ahead tocreate the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), making itthe fourth ISO that the Commission has approved so far.

The first phase of the Dauphin Island Gathering System (DIGS)expansion was put in service last week, making it the first easternGulf of Mexico pipeline to transport deep-water production toonshore facilities in Alabama. When complemented by the secondphase of its expansion, DIGS – a project of the Dauphin IslandGathering Partners (DIGP) – will have the capability to deliver upto 1.1 Bcf/d to onshore markets and pipelines in south Alabama andsouth Louisiana. The system will have hub platform capabilities atmultiple locations on the Outer Continental Shelf and in deep-waterareas. It is expandable with the addition of compression.

In a transaction making it the largest independent powerproducer in Texas, Calpine Corp. acquired the remaining 50% interest in Texas Cogeneration Co. (TCC), owner of two gas-firedpower plants in Texas City and Pasadena, TX, with 827 MW ofcapacity. Calpine of San Jose, CA, bought the remaining interest inTCC from Dominion Cogen Inc. for about $53 million, plus contingentpurchase payments beginning in 2000 that could approximate 2.9% ofproject revenue. As part of the deal, Calpine now owns a 7.5%interest in a 165 MW gas-fired cogeneration plant located inBayonne, NJ. Calpine Fuels Texas, a subsidiary of Calpine, buys gasfor the Texas plants from Enron Capital & Trade Resources(ECT). In a related transaction, Calpine Fuels Texas paid about$105 million to ECT to restructure its existing gas contracts.