Pipeline

Citing anticipations of cold weather and operational conditions,MRT issued an OFO effective today until further notice. Thepipeline will interrupt all IT volumes and Authorized Overrun gasin excess of contract demand flowing north of the mainline’sGlendale (AR) Station. Firm customers must restrict mainlinevolumes to within their contracted zone entitlement and primarypath. MRT will have a zero tolerance for underdeliveries during theOFO but will continue to accept positive imbalance gas. The OFOsupersedes a System Protection Warning that took effect Wednesday(see Daily GPI, Dec. 15).

Favorable rulings on the MarketLink and Independence Pipelineprojects at the Dec. 15 FERC meeting are “absolutely critical topreserve any realistic opportunity” for the proposed facilities tobe built and operating by the targeted November 2000 deadline, saysa senior official at Williams Gas Pipelines – Transco.

FERC has upheld an order approving Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s newtransportation service agreements with six shippers, casting asideproducer arguments that the contracts included negotiated terms andconditions and raised right-of-first-refusal (ROFR) issues.

Favorable rulings on the MarketLink and Independence Pipelineprojects at the Dec. 15 FERC meeting are “absolutely critical topreserve any realistic opportunity” for the proposed facilities tobe built and operating by the targeted November 2000 deadline, saysa senior official at Williams Gas Pipelines – Transco.

FERC last week upheld an order approving Tennessee GasPipeline’s new transportation service agreements with six shippers,casting aside producer arguments that the contracts includednegotiated terms and conditions and raised right-of-first-refusal(ROFR) issues.

OGE Energy Corp. announced that E. Keith Mitchell has beenappointed to the position of vice president of gas services atEnogex Inc., OGE Energy’s natural gas pipeline subsidiary. Mitchellwill continue to report directly to Enogex President Roger A.Farrell and will ultimately be responsible for the marketing andsale of gas transportation, gas liquids, and related services.

ANR Pipeline signed agreements with Wisconsin Public ServiceCorp. (WPSC) that will result in the extension to 2010 of firmnatural gas transportation and storage service agreements that werescheduled to expire over the next three years. “These contractextensions reinforce the strong relationship that Wisconsin PublicService and ANR have shared for many years,” said Jeffrey A.Connelly, president and CEO of ANR and senior vice president,natural gas, of parent Coastal Corp. “Wisconsin Public Service isconfident these contracts will continue to provide our customerswith reliable natural gas service at competitive rates into thenext millennium,” said Patrick D. Schrickel, president and chiefoperating officer of Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. Theagreements are subject to regulatory approvals. WPSC is acombination gas and electric utility serving about 225,000 gascustomers and 380,000 electric customers in an 11,000-square-mileservice territory in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

Indicated Shippers contend ANR Pipeline’s proposal to providenew hourly transportation services primarily for electricgeneration is discriminatory because the services would be limitedsolely to shippers who are “supplying or obtaining gas” for thatmarket.

Northern Natural said the 89 Mitchell CO2 outlet will be out forgas days Nov. 30 through Dec. 1 for planned pipeline maintenanceaffecting 80,000 MMBtu/d. Mitchell plant volumes will be at zeroduring the period.