Promising

Canada’s northern pipeline project has become a case of never say never, with the senior sponsor promising to keep on trying to launch construction but setting no dates.

The Conservative government of Canada’s energy province is promising to inaugurate a new era of efficient regulation — by going back to the approach taken in its formative times. After 12 years of a forced marriage, Alberta’s natural gas, oil and power watchdogs will regain their former stature as two separate agencies responsible for supply development and protecting consumers.

The Conservative government of Canada’s energy province is promising to inaugurate a new era of efficient regulation — by going back to the approach taken in its formative times. After 12 years of a forced marriage, Alberta’s natural gas, oil and power watchdogs will regain their former stature as two separate agencies responsible for supply development and protecting consumers.

Drilling success in the promising Cotton Valley Trend in East Texas and northern Louisiana by a handful of large and small exploration and production (E&P) companies is piquing a lot of interest — and not only because of the natural gas being discovered there.

Houston-based Goodrich Petroleum Corp., which drills for natural gas almost exclusively in the promising Cotton Valley Trend of East Texas and Northwest Louisiana, on Monday clinched its second exploration deal in the region in less than two weeks.

National Grid and KeySpan filed their merger application with the New York State Public Service Commission Thursday promising no layoffs and $500 million in permanent customer savings over 10 years through cost reductions from operational efficiency gains. However, they said the savings will be used to reduce proposed rate increases attributed to rising property taxes, environmental clean-up of brownfield sites and increased pension costs.

National Grid and KeySpan filed their merger application with the New York State Public Service Commission Thursday promising no layoffs and $500 million in permanent customer savings over 10 years through cost reductions from operational efficiency gains. However, they said the savings will be used to reduce proposed rate increases attributed to rising property taxes, environmental clean-up of brownfield sites and increased pension costs.

National Grid and KeySpan Corp. submitted their merger plan to FERC on Thursday, promising no adverse impacts on the wholesale energy market nor any cross subsidization from regulated to unregulated operations from the $7.3 billion combination, which would create the third largest gas and electric utility company in the United States.

With senior management and the board promising more robust returns from other energy investments, ScottishPower shareholders voted last Friday on the proposed $9.4 billion sale of its PacifiCorp utility operations in the United States. Results of the vote will be announced Tuesday, following annual and special shareholder meetings held in Glasgow.