Plans

Southern Company Energy Marketing – the marketing joint ventureof Southern Company unit Southern Energy and Vastar Resources’Vastar Gas Marketing and Vastar Power Marketing — plans to movesome of its Houston employees, mainly traders, to its Atlantaoffice.

Southern Company Energy Marketing – the marketing joint ventureof Southern Company unit Southern Energy and Vastar Resources’Vastar Gas Marketing and Vastar Power Marketing – plans to movesome of its Houston employees, mainly traders, to its Atlantaoffice.

Williams’ Kern River pipeline, with expansion plans targetingLong Beach, CA, is holding an open season offering termdifferentiated rates (TDR) for firm service representing a discountfrom existing rates of up to 25 cents/Dth. The 15-day open seasonbegan Oct. 23.

FERC Chairman James Hoecker yesterday announced that theCommission will hold a conference on Feb. 25 to address therelationship between interstate pipeline competition and retailunbundling at the state level.

Southern California Gas Co. has filed its latest two-yearcost-allocation rate proposal with California state regulators,proposing a massive $204 million rate cut, including transportationrate decreases for all customers with the largest targeted forlarge industrial and wholesale customers.

The Pipeline Customer Coalition (PCC) said it plans to supportthe proposed complaint procedures that would encourage parties tovoluntarily use dispute-resolution measures to settle theircommercial differences up-front in an attempt to expedite theprocess at FERC.

Chairman James Hoecker last week announced that FERC plans tohold a workshop with the gas industry in mid-October to flesh outthe details involved in the auctioning of short-term capacity. Theworkshop will occur prior to the deadline for industry comments onthe notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) that addresses regulationof short-term capacity, specifically the auctioning of thatcapacity. The comments are due in early November.

Chairman James Hoecker said this week FERC plans to hold onestaff workshop (possibly more) with the gas industry in mid-Octoberto flesh out the details involved in the auctioning of short-termcapacity. The workshop will occur prior to the deadline forindustry comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) thataddresses regulation of short-term capacity, specifically theauctioning of that capacity. The comments are due in earlyNovember.

Nova Corp. announced yesterday it is selling its 26% interest(38.8 million shares) in Dynegy Corp. (formerly NGC Corp.) andplans to redeploy the potential $460 million in proceeds in itscommodity chemicals business. Nova CEO Jeffery Lipton said themarket is “currently assessing little or no value to ourinvestment” in the Houston-based marketing and processing company.