Purchase

Reliant Services LLC plans to purchase Miller Pipeline Corp., anatural gas distribution contractor, from NiSource Inc. for $68.3million under an agreement announced this week. Reliant is jointlyand equally owned by subsidiaries of Vectren Corp. and CinergyCorp., and the acquisition will expand its utility servicesbusiness, adding underground pipeline construction, replacement andrepair services.

In a deal that creates a formidable independent in the Gulf ofMexico basin, Stone Energy Corp. will purchase Basin ExplorationInc. in a tax-free, stock-for-stock merger worth $410 million,including the assumption of $48 million in debt. Stone, whichoperates exclusively in the Gulf, will pick up Basin’s sizable 3Dseismic knowledge base in the Gulf and add proven Rocky Mountainassets.

AES Power Direct LLC, a retail electric provider, completed itspurchase of the entire stock of bankrupt marketer Titan Energy Inc.of Toronto for an estimated $6 million in cash last Thursday aftera bankruptcy judge in Georgia authorized the sale earlier in theweek.

Denver-based Forest Oil Corp. has agreed to purchase another independent producer, Forcenergy Inc., for $615 million in stock, a move that is expected to significantly boost the new company’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and Canada.

Denver-based Forest Oil Corp. has agreed to purchase anotherindependent producer, Forcenergy Inc., for $615 million in stock, amove that is expected to significantly boost the new company’soperations in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and Canada.

After waiting two and a half years, American Electric Powercompleted its $4.6 billion purchase of Central and South West Corp.last week following approval from the Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC). The deal creates the U.S.’s largest electricutility with annual revenues of $12.5 billion, assets of more than$35 billion, more than 4.8 million customers in 11 states, and38,000 MW of power generation in the U.S.

Canada’s Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd. has extended thedeadline of its initial offer to purchase all shares of Ranger OilLtd.’s common stock for another two weeks. Petrobank also hasentered a binding deal with Alberta Energy Co. to sell certainnatural gas assets currently held by Ranger for $262 million if thehostile takeover bid succeeds.

Canada’s Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd. extended thedeadline of its initial offer today to purchase all shares ofRanger Oil Ltd.’s common stock. Petrobank also has entered abinding deal with Alberta Energy Company to sell certain naturalgas assets currently held by Ranger for $262 million.

Conoco Canada Limited, completed the acquisition of outstandingassets associated with the purchase of Petro-Canada’s natural gasliquids (NGL) business, the company said yesterday. The additionincreases Conoco’s total net natural gas liquid production inCanada, the U.S. and Trinidad by 65%, to 105,000 bpd, and triplesnet processing capacity to 3.4 Bcf/d, while reducing per-barreloverhead and operating costs by 24%.