Big rebounds in the vicinity of a dollar at San Juan/Rockies points and moderate declines in the Northeast were the primary diversions Monday from overall flatness in the rest of the cash market, in which most points were less than a nickel up or down from unchanged.
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Ohio Consumer Advocate Does the Math for Making the Right Choice
The difficulty in determining savings from switching to another supplier can be the primary reason for not participating in customer choice programs. But a new handy calculator on the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) web site (www.pickocc.org) makes the math easy for residential customers.
NiSource Restructures Management to Stay Competitive
NiSource is making some of the last remaining organizational changes since it bought Columbia Energy Group two years ago, announcing actions last week to reduce the size of its management structure. Under the plan, the streamlining will move executive management closer to customers and promote efficiency while lowering costs in response.
CA Attorney General to File Lawsuits Against Generators ‘Soon’
In a post-primary election political swing through the state last Wednesday, California’s Attorney General Bill Lockyer told news media his office is about to file lawsuits against merchant power generators stemming from last year’s electricity crisis. The legal actions could come as early as this week, but the reaction from the independent power producers’ association in the state was “we’ve heard this before.”
Screen, Milder Weather Contribute to Cash Softness
Mostly moderate softness dominated the cash market Tuesday, as a falling screen and moderating weather were the primary influences. Price movement ranged from 1-6 cents down at several western points, while generally larger drops in the East went from about a nickel to down about a quarter on the Appalachian pipes. The PG&E citygate managed to eke out a small gain.
Transportation Notes
Transco lifted Monday a restriction on scheduled quantities through Station 40 in East Texas to primary firm transportation only; it had been imposed Thursday (see Daily GPI, Sept. 27). The pipeline also ended Monday a restriction on due-pipeline imbalance make-ups but said it will maintain a limit on positive imbalances at all pooling points.
Kern River Expansion Completed
Kern River Gas Transmission announced last Monday it had completed construction and was flowing gas through emergency expansion facilities on its Kern River natural gas transmission system. The expansion, which consisted mostly of adding compression, increased delivery capacity of the Wyoming to California pipeline by 135,000 Dth/d.
TECO to Beat 1Q Consensus Due to Weather, Prices
TECO Energy reported late last week that higher commodity pricesand colder weather are the primary reasons it expects to exceedconsensus earnings forecasts for the first quarter. TECO forecaststhat it will beat First Call’s consensus of $0.46 per share byexceeding $0.50 per share, more than 15% higher than the sameperiod last year.
CMS Sells Stock to Banc of America Securities
CMS Energy Corp. announced it sold 10 million primary shares ofcommon stock Friday in a block trade to Banc of America Securities,and deferred indefinitely its previously announced plans for aninitial public offering of up to 50% of its subsidiary, CMS Oil andGas Co. With the new issue, CMS Energy will have approximately131.3 million common shares outstanding.
Transportation Notes
As of Wednesday until further notice, Northwest shippers withprimary corridor rights southbound through Kemmerer (WY) Station arerequired to flow up to 10% of their contract demand from receiptpoints north of Kemmerer. That represents a reduction from 25% thathad been in effect since Dec. 15 (see Daily GPI, Dec. 18).