Northwest

PG&E Gas Transmission-Northwest (GTN) reported discovering internal problems with the B unit at Station 6, requiring that the unit be withdrawn from service. As a result, Kingsgate capacity was restricted to 2,400 MMcf/d in Thursday’s Intraday 1 scheduling cycle until further notice.

The Northwest Alabama Gas District is opening a new gas storage facility in the state to provide the municipal gas company and other third-party providers with flexibility to meet peak-day requirements while lowering their average cost of gas. The facility, which was funded by $20.3 million in revenue bonds issued by the District in 2000, is located in Lamar County and is expected to give northwestern Alabama an additional asset for attracting new business and industry.

The Northwest Alabama Gas District is opening a new gas storage facility in the state to provide the municipal gas company and other third-party providers with flexibility to meet peak-day requirements while lowering their average cost of gas. The facility, which was funded by $20.3 million in revenue bonds issued by the District in 2000, is located in Lamar County and is expected to give northwestern Alabama an additional asset for attracting new business and industry.

A producer group and aboriginal leaders from Canada’s Northwest Territories failed to reach a deal last week giving the native peoples a one-third stake in the proposed Mackenzie Delta pipeline after some native leaders said they wanted more time. Optimism remained high that an agreement could be reached in the next few months, and both sides stressed that the deal isn’t dead, just postponed.

A producer group and aboriginal leaders from Canada’s Northwest Territories failed to reach a deal this week giving the native peoples a one-third stake in the proposed Mackenzie Delta pipeline after some native leaders said they wanted more time. Optimism remained high that an agreement could be reached in the next few months, and both sides stressed that the deal isn’t dead, just postponed.

Except for isolated upticks in the Northern California market and only mild softness at Pacific Northwest points, prices for last-of-May flow fell by about 15 cents or more Wednesday. A negative screen during the morning provided no support for cash traders, and weather fundamentals are still too mild to create substantial air conditioning load, sources said.

Portland, OR-based Northwest Natural Gas Co. has appointed Mark S. Dodson as the company’s president and COO. Dodson, 56, had served as NW Natural’s senior vice president of public affairs and general counsel since 1997. Dodson was a partner in the law firm of Ater Wynne Hewitt Dodson & Skerrit in Portland from 1980 to 1997. He also has worked in the general counsel’s office of the U.S. Department of Transportation and was a special counsel to the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

Portland, OR-based Northwest Natural Gas Co. has appointed Mark S. Dodson as the company’s president and COO. Dodson, 56, had served as NW Natural’s senior vice president of public affairs and general counsel since 1997. In his new position, he will have responsibility for all day-to-day operations of the company and report directly to CEO Richard G. Reiten. Dodson was a partner in the law firm of Ater Wynne Hewitt Dodson & Skerrit in Portland from 1980 to 1997. He also has worked in the general counsel’s office of the U.S. Department of Transportation and was a special counsel to the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

In an effort to assist the Northwest meet its needs during the current energy shortage out West, the Bonneville Power Administration plans to establish a short-term policy that will encourage the immediate addition of electricity generation to help the region until planned long-term generation can be built. While the BPA will not fund construction of the generators nor buy the output, BPA said that the policy complements the load reduction strategy it has with its customers. In addition, BPA noted that customers who reduce their load on BPA by 10% would be allowed to use temporary small generators to supply a small portion of their needs. The agency has asked its customers to reduce their demands on BPA so that it can avoid expensive large power purchases in the wholesale market. Such purchases could lead to a triple-digit wholesale rate increase this October, according to BPA (see Daily GPI, April 11). The temporary policy would run from June 1, 2001 through Sept. 30, 2002. But the BPA said that before it implements the policy next month, it wants to hear from the public on the details of the plan. A public meeting on BPA’s proposed policy is scheduled for May 24 at BPA headquarters in Portland, OR.