Progress

The technology and economics are in line for commercialexpansion of distributed power, but progress is threatened byentrenched utilities, according to distributed power sponsors.

One year into electric deregulation, the benefits promisedconsumers by the California legislature have failed to materialize,making monopoly utilities the primary winners in the state’sderegulation game, according to San Francisco-based TURN, TheUtility Reform Network.

While most of the Vector Pipeline project remains dormant,Vector Pipeline L.P. recently announced an open season forshort-term firm transportation service from its proposedinterconnect with Michigan Consolidated Gas at Belle River, MI, tothe Union Gas Ltd. system at Dawn, ON. The company also said itexpects final regulatory approval for the entire Chicago-to-Dawnproject from both the Canadian National Energy Board (NEB) and theU.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by early April.

Reports that the year-old ‘FERC First’ effort is in disarray dueto clashes between contracted consulting firms over how to revampthe agency are completely unfounded, said Chairman James J. Hoeckerlast week.

A comprehensive report on gas unbundling released by the U.S.General Accounting Office found that as of July 31 of this yearonly about 3.9% of the of the residential gas customers eligible tobuy gas from suppliers other than their regulated gas utility weredoing so. Roughly 553,000 residential gas users behind thecitygates of 43 gas utilities in 16 states were participating incustomer choice programs. Commercial participation levels were notavailable. The report, titled Energy Deregulation: Status ofNatural Gas Customer Choice Programs, was requested by Sens. JeffBingaman (D-NM) and Dale L. Bumpers (D-AK).

Westcoast Energy said its St. Clair Pipelines subsidiary filedthe last major component required for the Millennium Pipelineproject yesterday with the National Energy Board in Canada. Thecompany filed an application for a $165 million pipeline that wouldlink Union Gas’ Dawn Hub in Ontario to lake crossing facilities tobe built by TransCanada. TransCanada filed an application for thelake crossing facilities earlier this week. St. Clair’s 50-mileMillennium West Pipeline would deliver about 700 MMcf/d of gas toPatrick Point on the shores of Lake Erie.

With bipartisan and administration support, the legislationcrafted by the Wyoming Congressional delegation last week to givecoalbed methane leaseholders and production companies some relieffrom a recent appellate court decision won rapid and unanimousapproval by the Senate Energy Committee on Wednesday. The bill isexpected to be taken up by the full Senate at any time, and thebill’s language is expected to also become part of a manager’samendment to the Interior Department’s appropriations bill, whichmust be approved before the end of the session next month.

Columbia Energy Group received high marks from Fitch IBCA, theinternational debt rating agency, for significant progress sinceemerging from bankruptcy in 1995. “Columbia exhibits a stablefinancial profile and favorable qualitative operatingcharacteristics,” Fitch said in upgrading the company’s $2 billionoutstanding debentures two notches to A from BBB+ and raising its$850 million commercial paper program F1 from F2.

Even though construction of the intrastate Front Range Pipelinealready is in progress and work on the Front Runner Pipeline isexpected to start “fairly soon,” the sponsors have disclosed thatthey are continuing discussions to possibly combine the two rivalprojects into a single pipeline to serve the growing Colorado gasmarket.