Operating

Still operating under outdated laws and information-gathering processes, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are severely hamstrung in their abilities to effectively monitor and provide timely data on natural gas markets to ensure that any upward price movement is a response to competitive factors rather than manipulative forces, according to a review carried out by another federal agency.

Still operating under outdated laws and technology, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are severely hamstrung in their abilities to determine whether natural gas prices are responding to competitive supply and demand factors or manipulative forces in the market, according to another government agency.

Sonat reported being notified by Enterprise Products Operating L.P. that the Toca 2 processing plant in South Louisiana will be shut down Thursday because of the relationship between prices for natural gas and liquids. As a result, LTA percentages for shippers who elected to process at the Enterprise-Toca plant will be changed to a rate equal to 65% of the rate that was in effect for Dec. 1-11. Shippers were encouraged to communicate with suppliers concerning the level of liquefiable hydrocarbons in their gas supplies for the remainder of December and beyond, and should be prepared to make adjustments in their sourcing arrangements to minimize the amount of liquefiable hydrocarbons entering Sonat’s system.

Duke Energy Corp.’s board of directors has elected Fred J. Fowler as president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Richard B. Priory, the company announced Monday.

Duke Energy Corp.’s board of directors has elected Fred J. Fowler as president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Richard B. Priory, the company announced Monday.

Saying it was experiencing peak day operating conditions Tuesday and that weather and load forecasts indicated this would continue through at least Wednesday, Algonquin will restrict forward haul Authorized Overrun, AIT and due-shipper makeup volumes for Wednesday’s gas day. “The need for any additional restrictions will be evaluated after the timely cycle,” the pipeline added. Later Tuesday afternoon, Algonquin reported experiencing an unscheduled outage at its Southeast Compressor Station affecting mainline throughput. Thus it added “the majority of secondary firm nominations scheduled on a forward haul basis” through Southeast to the previously announced constraints for Wednesday, saying only nominations for incremental Primary No-Notice service will be accepted.

Duke Energy Corp.’s board of directors has elected Fred J. Fowler as president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Richard B. Priory, the company announced last Monday. Fowler had been the company’s group president for energy transmission since 1997, where he oversaw Duke Energy’s interstate natural gas pipelines and Duke Energy Field Services. In the “new executive role,” Fowler will be responsible for the operations of Duke Energy’s energy businesses, including Duke Power Co., Duke Energy Gas Transmission, Duke Energy Field Services, Duke Energy International, Duke Energy Trading and Marketing and Duke/Fluor Daniel, according to the Charlotte, NC-based energy company. Fowler, a veteran of the energy business for nearly 35 years, has worked at Panhandle Trading Corp., been president of Trunkline Gas Co., president of Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. and group vice president of PanEnergy Corp. Duke Energy was created in 1997 as a result of the merger of PanEnergy and Duke Power. He currently serves as chairman of the board for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, which represents interstate gas pipelines, and serves on the board of Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Co.

Going forward the restructured energy industry is going to have some unfamiliar names and faces and they’ll be operating with new ground rules, William Hobbs, president and CEO of Williams Energy Marketing and Trading told state regulators meeting in Chicago last Tuesday.

Going forward the restructured energy industry is going to have some unfamiliar names and faces and they’ll be operating with new ground rules, William Hobbs, president and CEO of Williams Energy Marketing and Trading told state regulators meeting in Chicago Tuesday.