Markets

As bandwidth trading moves from idea to reality, its evolution is looking more like the development of trading in the power and natural gas markets, according to Nick Cioll, senior vice-president for trading operations at RateXchange. Cioll spoke yesterday at NGI’s GasMart/Power 2001 conference in Tampa, FL. Cioll was joined by Louis Hunsucker, a bandwidth trader with Williams Communications, on a panel called “The Complete Utility: Adding Broadband.”

Bears continued to roam the gas price woods Tuesday in nearly all markets. Overly warm and power-short California was the major exception where prices for deliveries at the PG&E Citygate and at the Southern Border into PG&E were up sharply.

In response to the “urgent” need for additional gas supplies toserve California’s electric generation markets this summer, KernRiver Gas Transmission has announced an emergency open season for135,000 Dth/d firm transportation service expected to be availableby July 1.

A mild rally continued Tuesday for end-of-February swing pricesin most markets outside California, where all three major pricingpoints were united for a change in substantial declines.Non-California points generally ranged from flat to more than adime higher, but most of the upticks were less than a dime.

Prices continued to fall in most markets Tuesday, but at aconsiderably slower pace than the previous day’s plunges. Mostdecreases were around 30 cents or less, while California points andStanfield achieved gains from a little less than a dime to about 35cents as more seasonable weather returned to the West Coast.

An expiration-day nosedive by the February futures contract,chilly but unremarkable weather for this time of year (despitesnowfall and icing in some northern market areas), and the prospectof more small storage withdrawal reports in coming weeks kept bearsin command of the cash market Monday.

Except for moderate California upticks, the cash marketcontinued to soften Friday but by much smaller amounts than the daybefore. Most points ranged from flat to down about 30 cents, butdeclines were larger at Stanfield and several Northeast citygates.

The fundamental of having snow and/or frigid temperaturescontinuing to pervade most markets was still around, but cashtraders must have been looking at hints that at least a moderatethaw might begin in several areas today. They again sent priceslower by about a dollar or more Wednesday in most cases.

Showing some tiredness with the continuing round of “emergency”declarations swirling throughout California’s energy markets, stateregulators Thursday refused to consider an eleventh-hour request bySouthern California Edison Co. to modify a legislatively-setpricing formula for renewable energy and qualifying facilities (QF)from which it buys power in lieu of the current unprecedentednatural gas prices. The payment formula is based on price indicesfor gas at the California-Arizona border, which saw spot prices atthe $36 to $41/Mcf level earlier this week.