natural gas

Demand between now and 2015 will prop up natural gas prices, even with a backlog of drilled wells awaiting connection, and from 2016 to 2018 a “dramatic structural increase” in demand could outpace supply additions and send gas prices to as high as $6.00/MMBtu, BNP Paribas’ Teri Viswanath, director of commodity strategy, said last Friday.

The Texas Petro Index (TPI), an indicator of upstream oil and gas activity in Texas, increased modestly but steadily during the first half of the year, beginning July a scant 1.2% from matching the peak index achieved nearly five years ago, according to data released last week.

Five of the top oil and natural gas producers in the world last week failed to impress with their 2Q2013 earnings reports, with Royal Dutch Shell plc causing the most talk after it wrote off more than $2 billion on the value of some liquids-rich properties in North America.

This year’s unseasonably cool summer in parts of the eastern United States and a natural gas supply glut brought on by the country’s shale production boom are continuing to put downward pressure on natural gas prices, as evidenced byNGI’s August Bidweek Survey. The national spot gas average for the month dropped 21 cents from July to average $3.45/MMBtu.

With screen prices at a three-month low it’s no surprise that July bidweek came in a bit soft.NGI’s National Spot Gas Average for July bidweek came in at $3.66, a 48-cent decline from June 2013, but 94 cents higher than the July 2012 bidweek average.

NGI Daily Price Index reported last week that Potomac ElectricPower Co. hoped to sell nearly all of its power generationfacilities — with an estimated capacity of at about 6,055 MW —for an “upside price” of about $3 million. Pepco later correctedthe figure to $3 billion. Pepco further said it hoped to narrow thefield of serious bidders to between six and a dozen by March.

In NGI’s story, “El Paso Pulls Off FTC-Required Sellathon” inthe previous issue (see NGI, Jan. 10), it is erroneously statedthat CMS Energy Corp. purchased both the Sea Robin pipeline and ashare of the Destin Pipeline from El Paso Energy. CMS onlypurchased Sea Robin whereas the Destin Pipeline was sold to anundisclosed party. NGI regrets the error.