Northwest

Within hours of a FERC vote yesterday ratifying proposed changesin its interruptible transportation (IT) queue, PG&E GasTransmission Northwest announced new procedures effective today.

National Energy Board (NEB) principals, fresh from summer tripsto Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, are exploringways to deal with megaproject proposals for development andtransportation of northern resources.

Citing “decisive customer response,” effective with Sunday’s gas day Northwest lifted a Stage I Overrun Entitlement Period that had begun Thursday (see Daily GPI, Sept. 29). A Deficiency Period associated with a compressor outage at the Soda Springs Station in Wyoming (see Daily GPI, Oct. 2) remains in effect until further notice.

Northwest continued to bar any on-system balancing or bankingMonday, saying its operational flexibility was “severely limited”by storage accounts being almost full.

PG&E Gas Transmission-Northwest removed the A unit atStation 12 (Bend, OR) from service due to a bleed valve failure.Capacity through the station was reduced to 1,890 MMcf/d Wednesday,affecting downstream deliveries. However, repairs were completedthe same day and capacity will return to 1,910 MMcf/d today.

Northwest reported that because it has been unable to deliverspec quality gas off the south end due to increased hydrocarbondewpoint levels, starting today it will be required to shut in sixinterconnect points: Piceance Quick Cycle, Grand Valley, SandSprings, Grand Gas, Premier-Bar-X and Bar-X. The pipeline said itwould contact each affected interconnect operator to discuss gasquality details.

A deep-drilling exploration project in the southwest end of theoil/gas saturated San Joaquin Valley about 45 miles northwest ofBakersfield is moving into the production testing phase with itssponsors, Tri-Valley Oil and Gas, liking what they have seen inpreliminary analyses of the 19,100-foot-deep Project Ekho#1 testwell.

Acknowledging that a combination of unexpected generator outagesand sustained hot weather could create the threat of power outagesthis summer, the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO)launched a new alert system for gaining enough voluntaryconservation by businesses and mass consumers to ride out thepeak-demand periods. Calling it “Power Watch 2000,” Cal-ISOPresident/CEO Terry Winter said he anticipates that both short- andlong-term the state can use market-based programs to addresspotential shortfalls.

Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. said it will expandprocessing capacity at its Bridgeport, TX, plant northwest of FortWorth from 210 to 310 MMcf/d. The expansion will handle rapidlyrising gas supplies from accelerated drilling by the company andother producers. Daily rich gas volumes delivered to Bridgeport areexpected to increase from 205 MMcf to almost 300 MMcf during thenext three years. Likewise, gas liquids production from the plantwould increase from 19,000 b/d to more than 27,000 b/d.