Midwest

Physical gas prices Tuesday overall on average added about 6 cents with nearly all points experiencing gains. Midwest points were firm as an exiting storm still made itself felt in the form of 30 mph gusts and typically constrained points in the Northeast also made outsized gains. The expiring March futures contract exited on a modest note, and at the end of trading March had risen 1.3 cents to $3.427 and April had fallen 1.4 cents to $3.456. April crude oil lost 48 cents to $92.63/bbl.

Columbus, OH-based American Electric Power (AEP) on Monday agreed to close or refuel units at three Midwest coal-fired electric generation plants and fill at least part of the lost capacity with renewable-based power supplies. Environmental groups hailed the move as a “victory for clean air.”

Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon’s controversial financing transactions “did not reveal any improper benefit” to him nor did they increases costs to the company “as a result of the overlap in financial relationships,” the board of directors said Wednesday.

A long-established Midwest gas utility holding company and an international industrial giant are the latest players to indicate they intend to compete in the growing natural gas transportation fuel market.

Whether it is safety enhancement work in California, pipeline extensions to service new electric generation plants in the Midwest or new distribution pipelines to serve formerly oil-heated homes in New England, low natural gas prices are being felt nationally in the operations of various local utility distribution companies (LDC).

Whether it is safety enhancement work in California, pipeline extensions to service new electric generation plants in the Midwest or new distribution pipelines to serve formerly oil-heated homes in New England, low natural gas prices are being felt nationally in the operations of various local utility distribution companies (LDC).

The promised re-application of a newly split two-part Keystone XL oil pipeline project to the U.S. State Department is still six to eight weeks away, a Calgary, Alberta-based spokesperson for TransCanada Corp. told NGI’s Shale Daily.

In Appalachia, gas from the Marcellus Shale is pushing out in all directions. Producer demand for takeaway capacity is great, prompting Spectra to announce this week its Northeast Expansion Transmission (NEXT) project to serve markets in Eastern Canada and its Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project to meet New England demand with gas from Pennsylvania.

Milder weather trends continue in the South, while temperature changes are mixed in various parts of the Midwest. Nevertheless, the continuation of winter-like conditions in much of the North American market assured that this week’s overall price advance extended into its third day Wednesday.