Provide

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline LLC signed an agreement with Newington Energy, an affiliate of Consolidated Edison, to provide natural gas transportation service to a 525 MW power plant currently under construction in Newington, NH. Newington Energy broke ground on the natural gas-fired facility in September. Maritimes plans to construct and operate gas transmission facilities, including interconnecting piping and metering, from the existing lateral pipeline on Newington Energy’s property to the plant. When the plant is completed in 2002, it will generate enough power to supply electricity to more than 700,000 homes in New England.

William has agreed to provide up to 60,000 MMBtu/d of summer no-notice natural gas transportation service to the new Aquila Crossroads Energy Center near Clarksdale, MS. Williams will build 5,400 feet of 12-inch pipe and related meter facilities off its Texas Gas system to serve the 320 MW simple cycle peaking facility, beginning in June 2002.

Barrett Resources Corp.’s move to provide “strategic alternatives” to its shareholders, and thus, increase the value if it is taken over, appears to have paid off. Last week, the Denver-based independent apparently received at least two more bids to compete with Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s offer of $60 a share. Barrett had set a deadline of last Wednesday for other companies to make an offer.

Barrett Resources Corp.’s move to provide “strategic alternatives” to its shareholders, and thus, increase the value if it is taken over, appears to have paid off. This week, the Denver-based independent apparently received at least two more bids to compete with Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s offer of $60 a share. Barrett had set a deadline of Wednesday for other companies to make an offer.

Reps. W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-LA), Joe Barton (R-TX) and James Greenwood (R-PA) are seeking assurances from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the NRC has enough resources to adequately address its current workload, as well as any additional regulatory activities that are likely to come the agency’s way, going forward.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) plans to release to the public today his emergency legislation that seeks to provide relief to the troubled California wholesale energy markets in the short term.

Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) last week called on Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to provide the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with a comprehensive inventory of all possible energy sources to head off the worsening power shortages that are anticipated for California and other western markets this summer.

Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday called on Energy SecretarySpencer Abraham to provide the Senate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommittee with a comprehensive inventory of all possible energysources to head off the worsening power shortages that areanticipated for California and other western markets this summer.

Just days after Houston-based Anadarko said it would boost itsspending in Canada this year (see Daily GPI, Feb. 12), the independent played whiteknight Monday, agreeing to acquire gas-rich Berkley PetroleumCorp. for $777 million, further boosting its Canadian reserves andpulling the rug out from under another Texas-based producer that hadset its sights on the company two months ago.