Newly

El Paso Energy Corp. announced an open season for a newlyproposed 175 MMcf/d interstate pipeline between the Raton Basin andthe interstate pipelines of El Paso Natural Gas and NorthernNatural Gas in Moore County, TX. The open season began yesterdayand will conclude on Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. (MST).

MichCon officials announced a successful beginning to its pilotprogram yesterday, with 70,000 of their 75,000 eligible customerschoosing a newly introduced competing supplier in the first year ofa three-year program. Stephen E. Ewing, the president of theMichigan gas utility, said the results prove customer choiceprograms can work for the entire state.

Washington Water Power’s newly formed affiliate Avista PowerInc. and Cogentrix Energy Inc. agreed to jointly build and/or buyinterests in gas-fired electric generation plants in the PacificNorthwest states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The first projectunder the new agreement is an approximately 270 megawatt facilityto be located in Rathdrum, ID. A power purchase agreement for theRathdrum project was signed simultaneously with the developmentagreement.

Natural gas is second only to the newly established electricitymarket in terms of volatility, and Tuesday it did little to dispelthat notion as the market dipped momentarily, only to spikedramatically higher in the last 90 minutes of trading, leaving eventhe most weathered of bulls surprised by the advance. Octobersettled at $2.132, a 17.8-cent gain for the day and nearly ahalf-dollar above the $1.63 low established less than two weeksago. Estimated volume confirmed the active trading with over120,000 contracts changing hands.

The Gas Research Institute announced its newly created Canadiansubsidiary, GRI Canada, has been selected by Gas Technology Canadato manage a $5 million/year research, development andcommercialization program funded by the Canadian natural gasindustry.

From its new corporate headquarters in San Diego, officials ofthe newly merged $6.2 billion Sempra Energy yesterday stronglypromoted their goal of expanding both utility and nonutilitybusinesses throughout the U.S. in the next 10 years as energyrestructuring spreads from state to state. It plans both highprofile marketing/branding and political campaigns to further itsgoal of being “one of the top five energy services companies inNorth America.”