Promises

A newly licensed technology from inventors at the Los Alamos National Laboratory promises to sharply lower the costs of gas liquefaction while also making liquefaction an option to oil producers around the world that typically flare their associated natural gas.

Despite five-year-old promises of significantly increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in the United States, the reality is that not much has been done to transform LNG from a niche business to a mainstream operation, according to James W. Duncan, director of Structured Products for ConocoPhillips Gas & Power.

Despite five-year-old promises of significantly increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in the United States, the reality is that not much has been done to transform LNG from a niche business to a mainstream operation, according to James W. Duncan, director of Structured Products for ConocoPhillips Gas & Power.

The downhill slope on which virtually all points were launched Wednesday got even steeper across the board Thursday, and promises to be even more slippery Friday following a dollar-plus swan dive by January natural gas futures. Heating load is diminishing dramatically as the harsh cold in which many markets began the week continues to become past tense.

Promising continued legal actions and citing a “shocking disregard for public welfare,” California Attorney General Bill Lockyer Thursday filed a civil lawsuit in an East San Francisco Bay state Superior Court against Houston-based Enron Corp., alleging unfair business practices and violations of the state’s commodity law. In a move to get around Enron’s bankruptcy protections, Lockyer said he hopes to have a jury trial under way in a California court before the end of this year.

Energen CEO Mike Warren promised $1 billion in exploration and production (E&P) asset purchases over the next four years after high commodity prices helped the Alabama utility company cash in during the quarter ended March 31 on its recent E&P growth.

Energen CEO Mike Warren promised $1 billion in exploration and production (E&P) asset purchases over the next four years after high commodity prices helped the Alabama utility company cash in during the quarter ended March 31 on its recent E&P growth.

Priding itself on “delivering results, not promises,” San Diego-based Sempra Energy laid out a bullish outlook for both its cash-cow utility and merchant sectors, confident for the most part that it has the flexibility and financial strength to maintain a successful mix of utility, merchant energy, trading, international and energy services businesses, along with becoming a gatekeeper of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in North America.

Priding itself on “delivering results, not promises,” San Diego-based Sempra Energy laid out a bullish outlook for both its cash-cow utility and merchant sectors, confident for the most part that it has the flexibility and financial strength to maintain a successful mix of utility, merchant energy, trading, international and energy services businesses, along with becoming a gatekeeper of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in North America.