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Tennessee reported Wednesday the discovery of a small leak nearMain Line Valve 46 on the 100 Line #1 about 15 miles southwest ofWest Monroe, LA. Repairs are expected to take two days, duringwhich meters upstream of Station 47 (West Monroe) may berestricted, Tennessee said.

A new pipeline may be needed in Southern California to eliminateimpending gas supply and infrastructure constraints, which couldbecome critical in the next few years, according to participants ata one-day roundtable set up by the California Public UtilitiesCommission (CPUC) Tuesday in San Diego. Demand is expected to farexceed supply in the burgeoning southern end of California and onboth sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, where population, industrialand energy growth are surpassing expectations,

Tennessee reported Tuesday it had identified a minor valve leakon its 200 Line #2 near Main Line Valve 259 (West Granville, MA).Adverse weather is preventing repairs temporarily, Tennessee said,but it expects to make them Thursday. No nominations or schedulingcuts are anticipated before repairs begin, the pipeline said, butit may be required to limit meters downstream of Station 254 toprimary services for Thursday’s gas day.

ANR said horsepower problems at its Grand Chenier (LA)Compressor Station, which are restricting combined capacity fromHIOS and near-shore West Cameron production to about 600 MMcf/d,should be repaired by Dec. 15. That will restore capacity to 750MMcf/d, ANR said.

Under heavy pressure from near record-setting high temperatures,the natural gas market caved in yesterday as traders continued toliquidate long positions. After opening at $2.80 the Decembercontract was hit with a Microsoft-like drop, breaking through keysupport levels at $2.74 and $2.70, to finish off 21.9 cents at$2.665.

A subsidiary of Coastal Field Services has purchased the GilmoreNo. 3 gas processing plant, near Edina, TX, in Hidalgo County fromPG&E Gas Transmission-Texas (PG&E-GTT). The plant wasconstructed in 1997 and has a capacity to extract 6,000 b/d of gasliquids from inlet volumes of up to 125 MMcf/d of gas. Theagreement, signed Nov. 1, also provides for Coastal to controlcapacity both upstream of the plant and exiting the plant.PG&E-GTT will continue to own and operate the Gilmore No. 1 andNo. 2 plants, which have capacity to extract 6,800 barrels per dayof gas liquids from combined inlet volumes of up to 140 MMcf/d.PG&E-GTT also will continue as operator for the Gilmore No. 3plant. “This acquisition reflects Coastal’s strategy of integratingnatural gas infrastructure in areas where Coastal has significantexploration and production interests,” said Coastal CEO David A.Arledge. “Due to ongoing drilling successes and recentacquisitions, South Texas is one of Coastal’s fastest-growingnatural gas production areas.”

Much like futures, swing price movement came to a nearstandstill Tuesday. Small declines of mostly less than 4 centstended to outweigh the few small scattered gains, but the overalleffect was pancake-like. Few areas were any more than moderatelychilly, and even the Upper Plains, where most Arctic cold frontsstart spreading into the U.S., was seeing temperatures in the 70s.Forecasters reported an absolutely featureless Atlantic stormoutlook.

Expect additional staff reductions, office closures andregulated rate changes in the near future at TransCanada PipeLines,Gary Mihaichuk, president of transmission, said in an interviewwith NGI last week.

Expect additional staff reductions, office closures andregulated rate changes in the near future at TransCanada PipeLines,Gary Mihaichuk, president of transmission, said in an interviewwith NGI this week.