Needs

With the White House last week reiterating its support for a voluntary approach to regional transmission organizations (RTO), FERC Chairman Pat Wood on Wednesday said that if his agency doesn’t have the “tool” of being able to order mandatory participation in the regional grid operators, the Commission will effectively be crippled in its efforts to set up regional power markets.

With 2 Bcf/d in natural gas supply needs that will almost double in the next few years, San Jose, CA-based Calpine Corp. plans to supplement its own 1 Tcf natural gas holdings in the U. S. and Canada with a major supply agreement for liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is slated to start arriving on the West Coast of North America by 2006-07, according to the company’s CEO speaking during a second quarter earnings conference call Wednesday. Gas will continue to “a very, very important part” of Calpine’s operations, he said.

Enron Corp. announced on Friday that it has reached a reorganization agreement in principal with its creditors, but needs yet another extension until July 11 to complete the deal and file it with the bankruptcy court. It’s unclear whether Judge Arthur J. Gonzalez will grant another extension. He indicated in February before granting a fourth extension to June 30 that his patience with the delays was wearing thin (see Daily GPI, April 24, Feb. 24).

Listing the education of FERC as one of the pipeline industry’s biggest problems to date, Fred Fowler, chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and president of Duke Energy Corp., said oftentimes when the Commission says it is trying to help a situation, their directive only “exacerbates” the problem.

Listing the education of FERC as one of the pipeline industry’s biggest problems to date, Fred Fowler, chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and president of Duke Energy Corp., said oftentimes when the Commission says it is trying to help a situation, their directive only “exacerbates” the problem.

El Paso Corp. said Thursday that its liquidity remains strong at $3.4 billion and it continues to make progress on asset sales, having closed more than $3.6 billion in sales transactions so far this year. The company plans to close $1.4 billion of additional non-core asset sales by the end of the first quarter 2003, with another $1 billion of asset sales expected to close during the remainder of 2003. All of the sales are part of its strategy to sell non-core assets to reduce debt and enhance liquidity.

KeySpan Corp. last Tuesday said that the company made an error in calculating the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) electric system requirements from newly installed peaking units, leading to a systems requirement overestimate of approximately $55 million to $65 million.

ANR Pipeline Co. is holding a non-binding open season to test the Ohio market for additional transportation capacity needs to current and new delivery points in the western part of the state. Company officials said the project potentially would include new market laterals and expansion of existing system capacity from multiple supply areas.

ANR Pipeline Co. is holding a non-binding open season to test the Ohio market for additional transportation capacity needs to current and new delivery points in the western part of the state. Company officials said the project potentially would include new market laterals and expansion of existing system capacity from multiple supply areas.