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Looking to ensure that Consumers Energy does not unlawfully pass on additional costs to its customers, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said last week that he is taking action in two of the company’s cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).

Looking to ensure that Consumers Energy does not unlawfully pass on additional costs to its customers, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Wednesday that he is taking action in two of the company’s cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).

Not one to pass up a good price, Consol Energy said it has sold 83-86% of its expected 2003 natural gas production, or about 44.8 Bcf out of an expected 52-54 Bcf of gas, at an average fixed price of $3.99/MMBtu. The company also noted it sold 7.4 Bcf of gas to be produced in 2004 at a price of $4.16/MMBtu, and 7.4 Bcf of gas to be produced in 2005 at $3.97/MMBtu.

Construction of Williams’ Canyon Station — a fixed-leg platform in 300 feet of water in East Main Pass Block 261 — has been completed and is ready to receive up to 500 MMcf/d from 10 subsea wells 55 miles out in the deepwater Camden Hills, Kings Peak and Aconcagua fields. The Gulf of Mexico platform was completed on a fast, 18-month track. Deliveries are expected to begin in late September when feeder lines are connected, reaching 300 MMcf/d by the end of October and full capacity by the end of the year.

Sonat said the offshore Main Pass 72 receipt point was shut in due to a leak on a third-party pipeline between the platform and Sonat’s line. A crew was on-site Friday to investigate the leak. Due to this work, Sonat was not scheduling gas from the point effective with Friday’s evening cycle until further notice.

The companion expansion projects of Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline and Algonquin Transmission obtained final environmental clearance last week from FERC staff, moving them one step closer to receiving certificate authorization from the full Commission.

The companion expansion projects of Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline and Algonquin Transmission have obtained final environmental clearance from FERC staff, moving them one step closer to receiving certificate authorization from the full Commission.

The Nevada legislature this week is expected to pass a new comprehensive energy law that delays for at least two years state efforts to restructure the electricity industry and to provide assurances that the state’s two major power utilities can recover all of their future costs. The governor is expected to sign the bill (AB 369), effectively freezing any more deregulation efforts, including the utilities’ divestiture of nine power plants (see Daily GPI, April 9).

No one is satisfied much by the California legislature’s11th-hour move late Wednesday to pass two new laws aimed atproviding relief for San Diego electric consumers and their utilitydistribution company, San Diego Gas & Electric. Nevertheless,the governor was expected to sign the measures.