Ownership

Now turning its acquisitive eye to Kansas, Midcoast Energy Resources Inc. plans to acquire Kansas Pipeline Co. (KPC), MarGasCo Partnership (MarGasCo) and other related assets.

Midcoast Energy Resources Inc. plans to acquire Kansas PipelineCo. (KPC), MarGasCo Partnership (MarGasCo) and other relatedentities. The $190 million deal includes the Kansas Pipelinesystem, which provides gas service to the Wichita and Kansas Citymetropolitan markets. The addition of the KPC system represents a41% increase in the total miles of pipeline owned by Midcoast.

Attempting to meet steep generation acquisition goals set by itsCEO for 1999, El Paso Energy recently bought a 49% ownershipinterest in East Coast Power, a subsidiary of Enron Corp. Terms ofthe deal were not disclosed. Enron still maintains control of thecompany with its 51% interest. El Paso said this deal is the firstdomestic power alliance between the two companies.

Illinova Energy Partners (IEP) purchased another niche retailmarketing operation last week to bolster its presence in keyderegulating markets. The company, which has added EMC GasTransmission in Michigan and Equitable Resource Marketing inIndiana during the last six months, purchased Tempe, AZ-basedQuality Energy Services (QES) to gain a foothold in thesoon-to-be-deregulated Arizona energy market.

Williams Energy Services has acquired full ownership ofVolunteer Energy Corp., increasing its stake from 50%.

In an effort to encourage retail stock ownership and improveshare liquidity, the KN Energy board of directors announcedWednesday shareholders of record at the close of business Dec. 15will receive a three-for-two stock split and a 7.1% increase inquarterly dividends. The stock will be distributed and the increasewill be paid concurrently on Dec. 31.

Williams took a bigger jump into the energy marketing businessyesterday by announcing it has acquired full ownership ofEnergyVision by purchasing the 50% interest in the company that washeld by BEC Energy. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

TransCanada PipeLines created limited partnership TransCanadaGas Processing LP and is offering units to the public. TransCanadaholds various ownership interests in five gathering and processingfacilities and all related agreements in Alberta and Saskatchewan.With offering proceeds, the partnership will acquire an indirect75% interest in the facilities, while TransCanada will retain theremaining 25%. After 20 years, TransCanada will reacquire thefacilities at their fair market value for cash or shares ofTransCanada. “TransCanada will recapitalize these Canadian gasprocessing investments in a very efficient manner and investorswill receive attractive returns and tax treatment,” saidTransCanada CEO George Watson.

Independent Power Producer Cogentrix Energy has signed anagreement with Bechtel Enterprises Inc. to acquire Bechtel’sownership interests in 12 electric generating facilities, plus afractional share of Iroquois Pipeline. Most of the properties wereon the market as the result of PG&E Corp.’s acquisition lastfall of Bechtel’s interest in U.S. Generating Co. Regulatoryconstraints barred PG&E from acquiring certain of the USGenassets.