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TXU Energy Services has signed a three- year, $100 million-pluscomprehensive energy management contract with Bass Hotels &Resorts, a subsidiary of Bass PLC, to provide natural gas, electricand risk management services, develop energy-efficiency improvementprojects and provide consolidated billing services.

As anticipated after Wednesday’s dollar-plus screen plunge, cashprices also were falling bigtime Thursday. Exceptions to declinesof 50 cents or more were rare. However, some sources detected signsthat the huge erosion of cash numbers that started late last weekmight be near an end.

Weekend winter storms in much of the Midcontinent/Midwestcombined with expectations of even worse to come this week over amuch wider area to push cash prices higher by well over a dollar atnearly all points. Only the PG&E citygate was a tad shy ofrealizing a three-digit advance.

After agreeing to unload its electric subsidiary last week to Orion Power Holdings for about $200 million plus the assumption of debt, Columbia Energy Group announced that it has found a buyer for its electric subsidiary’s interests in four power generation Qualifying Facilities (QF). The interests, which were excluded from the Orion deal, will be sold to a partnership between Morristown, NJ,-based Delta Power Co. and John Hancock Life Insurance for an undisclosed amount (see NGI, Oct. 9).

After agreeing to unload its electric subsidiary last week to OrionPower Holdings for about $200 million plus the assumption of debt,Columbia Energy Group announced that it has found a buyer for itselectric subsidiary’s interests in four power generation QualifyingFacilities (QF). The interests, which were excluded from the Oriondeal, will be sold to a partnership between Morristown, NJ,-basedDelta Power Co. and John Hancock Life Insurance for an undisclosedamount (see Daily GPI, Oct. 3).

Houston’s Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has purchased Acadian Gas LLC’s extensive southern Louisiana assets, which include 1,000-plus miles of pipeline, more than 1 Bcf/d of capacity and a leased natural gas storage facility with 3.4 Bcf of capacity from Coral Energy LLC for $226 million in cash. Coral Energy, also based in Houston, is an affiliate of Shell Oil Co.

Houston’s Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has purchasedAcadian Gas LLC’s extensive southern Louisiana assets, whichinclude 1,000-plus miles of pipeline, more than 1 Bcf/d of capacityand a leased natural gas storage facility with 3.4 Bcf of capacityfrom Coral Energy LLC for $226 million in cash. Coral Energy, alsobased in Houston, is an affiliate of Shell Oil Co.

Continuing on a trek to grab the lion’s share of the energyservices market, two subsidiaries of Enron Corp. yesterday inkedfinancial deals, totaling more than $1 billion that capitalize onthe Houston-based company’s energy management expertise and growthin the global risk market.

Eastern points followed up on Monday’s screen drop of 15-pluscents and subsequent milder softening Tuesday by falling 15 centsor more themselves yesterday. However, the West’s continuing heatwave kept Malin and Rockies pipes generally flat while otherCalifornia points and San Juan Basin were down only a nickel or so.