Operating

Due to warmer than expected weather in its market area, CIG plans to declare a Strained Operating Condition on its transmission system effective Tuesday until further notice. “Because of currently high storage inventory levels and reduced market requirements generally experienced with warmer weather conditions, CIG has limited ability to handle oversupply or underdelivery imbalances,” the pipeline said. “In particular, all storage customers should adjust flowing supplies to ensure that storage injections and total inventory levels remain at or below contractual limits.”

Enstor Operating Co. LLC said it is accepting bids for firm storage capacity at the Katy Storage Hub that will be available starting April 1, 2005. Non binding bids are due Oct. 29. The Katy Hub is connected to eight Texas intrastate and four interstate pipeline systems. Katy has a total storage capacity of 21 Bcf. Firm storage services of up to five annual cycles will be offered. Enstor also is offering capacity at its proposed Houston Storage Hub, which is expected to be connected to seven interstate and intrastate pipelines. It would provide 10 annual cycles of storage service. Total working storage capacity at the Houston Hub is expected to be 18 Bcf with a maximum deliverability of 1.5 Bcf/d. For more details contact Patrick DeVille at (281) 374-3053 or go to Enstor’s website at www.enstorinc.com.

Touting the deal as a means of strengthening its finances and operating efficiencies, PNM Resources filed its plans to acquire Texas-New Mexico Power’s parent, TNP Enterprises, with state regulatory commission in New Mexico and Texas on Thursday. Rate decreases for both natural gas and electric utility customers in the merged company are proposed by PNM for next year.

Sonat reported being notified by plant operator Enterprise Operating Partners LLC that the Toca II processing plant in southeast Louisiana for 10 days of maintenance beginning Monday. Sonat said it would post new PTR (plant thermal reduction) percentages shortly. The pipeline said it expects a richer gas stream, mainly on its south system, as a result of the outage, but does not anticipate any gas quality problems at this time.

FERC last week directed transmission-operating utilities to file reports at the Commission detailing their vegetation management practices in transmission corridors by June 17 and, in a related move, issued a policy statement that clarifies FERC’s power grid reliability policies and objectives.

Sonat reported being notified that Enterprise Operating Partners LLC is delaying until further notice an outage of its Toca 1 processing plant in southeast Louisiana. The outage had previously been set to begin April 17 and last two to three weeks (see Daily GPI, April 8). Sonat planned to post a message about new PVR loss percentages on its bulletin board last Friday.

Twenty-four major energy companies operating in the U.S. reported “significantly higher” overall corporate net income for the fourth quarter of 2003 and for the entire year compared to 2002, due mostly to higher oil and natural gas prices, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Twenty-four major energy companies operating in the U.S. reported “significantly higher” overall corporate net income for the fourth quarter of 2003 and for the entire year compared to 2002, due mostly to higher oil and natural gas prices, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Timothy H. Ling, 46, the president and chief operating officer of Unocal Corp., died suddenly on Wednesday, the company said. He had been a member of Unocal’s board of directors since 2000 and also was a member of the company’s management committee.