Predictions

The dire predictions that natural gas pipelines will be burdenedwith monstrous amounts of unsubscribed capacity as they enter thenew millennium don’t appear to be coming true. First Natural GasPipeline Co. of America reported it had sold out 99% of itstransportation capacity, and Tennessee Gas Pipeline announced lastweek it has sold out 80% of its 5.9 Bcf/d capacity for servicebeginning Nov. 1 of next year.

Due to extremely high storage inventory levels and continuedweather predictions at or above normal temperatures, Williams GasPipeline Central has been experiencing daily storage injectionsthat are substantially above contractual limits, especially onweekends, the pipeline said. Shippers under TSS and FSS rateschedules are required to adhere to their maximum daily injectionquantity and their defined contractual maximum storage quantities.Due to warmer-than-normal weather forecasts, shippers and pointoperators will need to decrease corresponding supplies to matchdeliveries. During this time, the pipeline will not acceptimbalance payback or banking of gas. If corrective action is nottake, an operational flow order may be necessary effective gas daySaturday.

Amid confirmation that volumes of exports to the United Statesare on the rise and confident predictions that prices will staystrong, Canadian natural gas drilling is accelerating rapidly. Thenumber of gas-well completions in western Canada is expected to hitat least 8,200 next year.

Amid confirmation that volumes of exports to the United Statesare on the rise and confident predictions that prices will staystrong, Canadian natural gas drilling is accelerating rapidly. Thenumber of gas-well completions in western Canada is expected to hitat least 8,200 next year.

Tuesday’s trading appeared to bear out one Daily GPI source’spredictions Monday of generally stagnant pricing for the rest ofthis week. Eastern numbers formed almost a mirror image of theprevious day’s pattern. Instead of being flat to a little higher,they were flat to a little lower. And prices in the West, which hadbeen busy recovering lost weekend ground Monday, joined inTuesday’s overall flat-to-lower trend with the exception of smallgains at the PG&E citygate and a couple of Rockies locations.

If government predictions are correct, Gulf of Mexico producerscould be shutting in more rigs and shuttling more workers to safetythis hurricane season than last.

If government predictions are correct, Gulf of Mexico producerscould be shutting in more rigs and shuttling more workers to safetythis hurricane season than last.

Cash market predictions proved accurate again as pricescontinued to slide going into the weekend Friday. It didn’t take arocket scientist to make that call, sources said, as forecasts ofgorgeous weather virtually throughout the nation (and north of theborder too) should lower gas load greatly by encouraging a lot ofoutdoor activity.

If 1998 Atlantic hurricane predictions by faculty at ColoradoState University are correct, the four-year period of 1995 through1998 will have been the most active consecutive four years forhurricanes on record. This year’s Atlantic hurricane activity ispredicted to be “appreciably more than 1997 but less than theunusually active 1995 and 1996 seasons.