Peninsula

The expected path of Tropical Storm Chantal over the Yucatan Peninsula and expectations of a much larger weekly storage injection took a little wind out of the sails of the gas futures market Monday, with the September contract showing a nickel gap lower from Friday’s low on the daily charts. However, after that initial weakness, futures proceeded in a very tight sideways band throughout the day in an unusually tranquil session. September ended the day at $3.187, down 11.6 cents from Friday’s close.

Buccaneer Pipeline, one of two long lines proposed to cross theGulf of Mexico and deliver gas to the west coast of the FloridaPeninsula, has finally received permission to go ashore in PascoCounty, north of Tampa-St. Petersburg, after facing substantiallandowner opposition.

TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, completedEnerg¡a Mayakan, a $266 million, 435-mile gas pipeline in Mexico’sYucatan peninsula. The pipeline is expected to go into commercialoperation by the end of September.

Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pulled ahead in the crowded race to serve the expanding gas-fired power generation market in the Florida peninsula when FERC last week issued a favorable preliminary determination on the non-environmental aspects of its Phase IV mainline expansion project.

All the gas flowing to the Florida peninsula was cut off overthe weekend after a lightning strike Friday afternoon caused a fireand pipe rupture at Florida Gas Transmission’s Station 15 nearPerry, FL, and knocked out all downstream service. The 24-inch,30-inch and 36-inch mainlines that converge in the station yardwere affected.