Operations

UtiliCorp United said its power marketing operations willcontribute positively to second quarter earnings before interestand taxes. Wholesale electricity volumes for the quarter areexpected to be about 24.8 million MWh, up about 112% from the 1997quarter.

Growth in southeast Texas drilling operations prompted DukeEnergy Field Services to build a new gas processing plant in WestBeaumont, TX, which went on line last week. The plant has capacityof 100 MMcf/d.

PECO Energy launched a new energy services and retail energymarketing company, called Exelon Energy, which will combine thediverse operations of Horizon Energy, PECO Energy/Energy One andPECO Energy/Horizon Group.

Amoco Corp. and Snyder Oil Corp. traded interests in Wyomingproperties to help each company focus its gas operations in theGreen River Basin. Amoco acquired Snyder’s interest in asubstantial portion of the Jonah field in Sublette and Sweetwatercounties. In exchange, Amoco gave Snyder 75% of its interest in theBeaver Creek Unit in Fremont County, WY. Amoco retained 25%interest in Beaver Creek. The deal involved property only.

Amoco’s Hugoton Jayhawk gas processing plant in Ulysses, KS,recently began operations with capability to process 450 MMcf/d andrecover up to 33,000 barrels of gas liquids per day. HugotonJayhawk currently is processing about 400 MMcf/d, of which 280MMcf/d is supplied by Amoco-operated wells.

American Electric Power Co. Inc. (AEP) and Central and SouthWest Corp. (CSW) last week sought FERC approval of the merger oftheir operations into one of the largest electric utility companiesin the nation.