Provide

After reaching the lowest levels since early March, the gas futures market got a boost last week from a smaller than expected storage injection and a downward revision to prior storage data on Thursday, which provided just enough steam for the September contract to end the week closer to its weekly high of $2.80 than Wednesday’s low of $2.64. However, September only managed to eke out a small 1.6-cent gain on Friday, ending the day at $2.761, just above its daily low of $2.755. Volume was light at 38,527, compared to 95,207 on Thursday.

Elizabeth Moler, former FERC chair and now senior vice-president at Exelon, last Wednesday urged the Commission to start providing some certainty in the area of regional transmission organization (RTO) formation, noting that several utilities are drawing a line in the sand on spending more money on RTO-related development until that certainty is offered.

A one-year delay in the in-service date has been sought for the Georgia Strait Cross Pipeline, a project that would provide natural gas to power generators on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Aquila and NiSource have formed an alliance to leverage their capabilities to provide comprehensive energy solutions, better manage the risk associated with operating NiSource’s sprawling pipeline, storage and utility assets, and to capitalize on market opportunities presumably created in the void left by Enron Corp.

The U.S. economy is spending $1 billion, or 60%, less on energy right now than it was a year ago, according to a report by Raymond James & Associates. Since the U.S. GDP is about $28 billion per day, this represents a 3.5% year-over-year windfall to our economy.

The U.S. economy is spending $1 billion, or 60%, less on energy right now than it was a year ago, according to a report by Raymond James & Associates. Since the U.S. GDP is about $28 billion per day, this represents a 3.5% year-over-year windfall to our economy.

Aquila and NiSource have formed an alliance to leverage their capabilities to provide comprehensive energy solutions, better manage the risk associated with operating NiSource’s sprawling pipeline and storage assets, and to capitalize on market opportunities presumably created in the void left by Enron Corp. The details of the alliance are being developed and will be provided as they are available.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday sought to provide guidance to the power industry on the formation of an organization to develop wholesale electric industry business practice and communications standards. Although the Commission is giving industry first crack at developing such an organization, FERC made it clear that if the electricity sector does not step up to the plate — and quickly — the agency will either select an organization itself or set up a procedure to develop the standards.

El Paso Natural Gas and El Paso Energy Merchant Co. have called on FERC to provide “immediate guidance” on the “record status” of the Commission enforcement section’s bid for an expanded investigation into whether the two companies conspired to drive up gas prices in Southern California.