Preparations

Preparations are continuing at a brisk pace for large-scale supply development in northeastern British Columbia (BC) as soon as natural gas markets show reliable signs of making a comeback.

Preparations are continuing at a brisk pace for large-scale supply development in northeastern British Columbia (BC) as soon as natural gas markets show reliable signs of making a comeback.

Florida Gas Transmission said it must excavate its mainline just upstream of Galveston Bay in Texas to conduct a thorough examination. FGT was making preparations for the excavation during Wednesday’s gas day but continued to schedule up to 150,000 MMBtu/d through Station 6; that is half of the station’s normal capacity due to an unscheduled upstream pipe examination that began Tuesday (see Daily GPI, Jan. 9). FGT plans to begin the excavation and thorough examination Thursday, saying the work may take two days. For the gas days of Thursday and Friday, zero gas will be scheduled into the system upstream (west) of Galveston Bay. Volumes will be scheduled as normal downstream (east) of Galveston Bay. NGPL Jefferson is one of the first major interconnects just to the east of Galveston Bay that will be scheduled as normal Thursday and Friday, FGT said. It will resume scheduling normal capacity of up to 300,000 MMBtu/d through Station 6 on those days.

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) announced an interim plan Tuesday to address inadequate winter gas supply preparations by state utility Corning Natural Gas, which serves 14,500 gas customers in a 400-square-mile gas distribution territory in the Finger Lakes area of New York. The PSC reported that KeySpan Corp. has submitted a letter of commitment to ensure that Corning has sufficient flowing gas and gas in storage to serve its customers for the month of December.

Amid preparations for spring public hearings, a British Columbia government eager to capitalize on strong natural gas markets has put out a reminder that a formula has already been found once for opening up the West Coast of Canada to offshore drilling.

Amid preparations for spring public hearings, a British Columbia government eager to capitalize on strong natural gas markets has put out a reminder that a formula has already been found once for opening up the West Coast of Canada to offshore drilling.

Anadarko Petroleum shares jumped more than 5% Wednesday to $44.93 on a report by Reuters that the company has hired Credit Suisse First Boston to negotiate with potential buyers. Anadarko would not confirm the details of the report.

Preparations quietly got underway last week at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for an orderly changing of the guard at the end of the month, as the White House named Commissioner Pat Wood III to succeed current Chairman Curt Hebert Jr., who is resigning to join New Orleans, LA-based Entergy Corp. as executive vice president of external affairs.