Peers

Raymond James & Associates Inc. analysts joined their peers at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Inc. (TPH) and Morgan Stanley in predicting higher natural gas prices for this year.

While lower profits in its merchant generation business and a decrease in weather-related energy sales hampered Dominion Resources Inc.’s full-year and 4Q2011 earnings, the Richmond, VA-based company said it has made “significant progress” in developing infrastructure projects to serve the robust shale gas production from the Marcellus and surrounding plays.

Encana Corp. has joined its Horn River producer peers Apache Corp. and EOG Resources Inc. in the Kitimat liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal project on the west coast of central British Columbia (BC) and its associated gas pipeline. Encana is taking a 30% stake in the project, which will target Asian markets with western Canadian gas supplies.

A senior producer has broken ranks with its peers to oppose any immediate toll increase on the principal natural gas pipeline from western Canada to the central provinces and export crossings into the MidWestern and Northeastern United States.

The profile of investor-owned companies (IOC) relative to their national oil company (NOC) peers has declined over the last 40 years as NOCs have taken greater control of their home territories and have made significant inroads into the international arena, according to a report by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA) done in conjunction with Deloitte.

The profile of investor-owned companies (IOC) relative to their national oil company (NOC) peers has declined over the last 40 years as NOCs have taken greater control of their home territories and have made significant inroads into the international arena, according to a report by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA) done in conjunction with Deloitte.

While net power generation output was down overall in March, gas-fired plants trounced their coal-fired peers as weak gas prices continued to favor the cleaner fuel, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

While net power generation output was down overall in March, gas-fired plants trounced their coal-fired peers as weak gas prices continued to favor the cleaner fuel, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Energy guru Tom Petrie agrees with many of his peers that 2009 doesn’t appear to hold much promise for the U.S. natural gas sector. Gas prices could fall to half of where they are now if certain events coincide this summer, but he still thinks there’s a bit of blue amid the darkening clouds.