Marks

Mississippi River Transmission (MRT) and Columbia Gas SystemInc. got very high marks for being responsive to their customers,according to the results of the latest pipeline customersatisfaction study released by Mastio & Co.

A power generation partnership formed last week by CinergyCapital & Trading and Duke Energy North America LLC (DENA)marks Cinergy’s first step toward mending the hole in its defensesagainst huge summer power demand peaks. The two companies areteaming up to build three gas-fired power plants with 1,400 MW ofgenerating capacity.

A power generation partnership formed yesterday by CinergyCapital & Trading and Duke Energy North America LLC (DENA)marks Cinergy’s first step toward mending the hole in its defensesagainst huge summer power demand peaks. The two companies areteaming up to build three gas-fired power plants with 1,400 MW ofgenerating capacity.

The lights didn’t go out in Georgia or anywhere else in NorthAmerica last week during an industry-wide testing of electricutility systems for potential computer glitches that could mar thetransition to the new millennium, according to officials with theNorth American Electric Reliability Council (NERC).

The lights didn’t go out in Georgia or anywhere else in NorthAmerica during an industry-wide testing of electric utility systemsfor potential computer glitches that could mar the transition tothe new millennium, according to officials with the North AmericanElectric Reliability Council (NERC).

Columbia Gas of Virginia says the first year of its two-yearcustomer-choice program has captured high marks, with aboutone-fifth of its eligible customers in the northern part of thestate having signed up to participate in it so far. This is the”best endorsement for the [program’s] expansion” throughoutColumbia’s entire service territory, a company official said.

The New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) reported a fairlyactive first day of trading for the eastern electricity futurescontracts on Friday, with a total volume of 939 contracts traded.This, however, was 282 fewer contracts than the number tradedduring the first day of the western electricity contracts in 1996,a Nymex official said.

Swift Energy Co. has agreed with Sonat Exploration Co., asubsidiary of Sonat Inc., to purchase for $87.6 million producingoil and gas properties that will increase its reserves by about25%. The deal signifies a redirection of Swift spending plans awayfrom drilling and to acquisition in light of depressed oil prices.

Denver-based KN Energy (KNE) made a big entrance into thegas-fired power generation business yesterday by purchasing 10% ofthe generation in the state of Colorado and becoming the largestindependent power producer in the state. It purchased Denver-basedThermo Co., an electrical engineering firm that specializes indistributed power. The deal is designed to prepare KNE for eventualelectric industry deregulation and competition in its home state.