Officially

Kern River Gas Transmission last week officially kicked off construction on its $1.2 billion, 900 MMcf/d 2003 expansion project, which received a final certificate from FERC on July 17 (see NGI, July 22 ). The project will more than double Kern River’s current transportation capacity, providing much needed market access for burgeoning gas supplies coming from supply basins in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

Kern River Gas Transmission officially kicked off construction on its $1.2 billion, 900 MMcf/d 2003 expansion project, which received a final certificate from FERC on July 17 (see Daily GPI, July 18). The project will more than double Kern River’s current transportation capacity, providing much needed market access for burgeoning gas supplies coming from supply basins in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

After nearly an eight-month wait, President Bush officially has nominated Joseph T. Kelliher to a five-year term on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, putting to rest persistent reports that his nomination was in jeopardy. Kelliher will replace current Commissioner Linda K. Breathitt whose term expires June 30 of this year, a White House spokeswoman said.

In a 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, Reliant Resources Inc. officially amended its earnings for the second and third quarters of 2001. The restatement, which was announced in early February by the company, relates to a correction in accounting treatment for a series of four structured transactions that apparently were inappropriately accounted for as cash flow hedges between May 2001 and Sept. 2001 (see Power Market Today, March 18).

The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) officially takes over the weekly storage report from the American Gas Association (AGA) in May. However, the EIA already is fielding “a lot of calls and a lot of interest” in what the new report will look like, and the agency is now field testing the system to ensure no future problems, said William Trapmann, team leader of natural gas analysis within EIA’s Office of Oil & Gas.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) officially takes over the weekly storage report from the American Gas Association (AGA) in May. However, the EIA already is fielding “a lot of calls and a lot of interest” in what the new report will look like, and the agency is now field testing the system to ensure no future problems, said William Trapmann, team leader of natural gas analysis within EIA’s Office of Oil & Gas.

Houston-based Western Hub Properties officially opened California’s second merchant underground natural gas storage facility at Lodi, just south of Sacramento, on January 1 with about 78% subscription of the facility’s phase one working capacity of 9 Bcf, according to a Houston-based Western Hub marketing manager. Utilities and marketers are the bulk of the initial customers.

Houston-based Western Hub Properties officially opened California’s second merchant underground natural gas storage facility at Lodi, just south of Sacramento, on January 1 with about 78% subscription of the facility’s phase one working capacity of 9 Bcf, according to a Houston-based Western Hub marketing manager. Utilities and marketers are the bulk of the initial customers.

The next step may be bankruptcy court for Enron Corp. after Dynegy Inc., its merger partner for 18 days, officially called off the deal Wednesday. The news, somewhat expected following a series of unparalleled events earlier in the day, snuffed any hope that Enron could rise again after a spectacular fall in less than two months. In a subdued 10-minute conference call in which no questions were taken at midday, Dynegy CEO Chuck Watson cited Enron’s “breaches of representations, warranties, covenants and agreements,” and announced Dynegy had ceased trading with Enron.