Purchased

Constellation Energy Group said it purchased Blackhawk Energy Services, a full service provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in Illinois, and Kaztex Energy Management, a full service provider of natural gas to customers in Wisconsin, from Wisconsin Energy Corp. The two companies serve 1,100 customers, and together with other recent purchases, make Constellation the nation’s largest competitive supplier of energy to large customers. The companies extend Constellation’s commercial and industrial base in the Midwest, noted Thomas F. Brady, senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at Constellation. “With the addition of these two companies to our portfolio, Constellation Energy’s total natural gas supply for large customers now exceeds 250 Bcf/year, significantly enhancing our position in this competitive marketplace.” Since 2002, Constellation has continued to increase its load serving business through the acquisitions of NewEnergy, Alliance, Fellon-McCord, and now Blackhawk and Kaztex.

Houston-based Texas Municipal Gas Corp. (TMGC) has purchased $266 million of West Texas mineral interests from Dominion Exploration & Production, which would give it 66 Bcf for the next four years. The assets currently produce more than 200 MMcf/d.

Houston-based Texas Municipal Gas Corp. (TMGC) has purchased $266 million of West Texas mineral interests from Dominion Exploration & Production, which would give it 66 Bcf for the next four years. The assets currently produce more than 200 MMcf/d.

Talisman Energy Inc. said last week that it purchased all the shares of Vista Midstream Solutions Ltd. for C$130 million (US$94 million), giving it important gathering and processing assets in a core area adjacent to its Deep Basin play in northwestern Alberta. Talisman said the other assets included in the purchase are being resold.

Accent Energy Group LLC (Accent Energy) has purchased the remaining 1,700 commercial and industrial gas customer accounts from Nicor Energy, a retail energy marketer owned equally by Nicor, Inc. and Dynegy. The customers are Nicor’s last since its decision to exit the retail marketing business.

Accent Energy Group LLC (Accent Energy) has purchased the remaining 1,700 commercial and industrial gas customer accounts from Nicor Energy, a retail energy marketer owned equally by Nicor, Inc. and Dynegy. The customers are Nicor’s last since its decision to exit the retail marketing business (see Daily GPI, )

With wholesale gas prices for March and April nearly triple what prices were for the same months in 2002, very little can be done to prevent some impact on utility customers. Despite forward purchasing, storage and other risk management practices, Mobile Gas in Alabama said its residential customers still will see a 22% increase in their rates.

Banker Goldman Sachs said Friday it had purchased the European natural gas and power trading books of Dynegy Inc. and El Paso Corp., some of them 10-15 year contracts. El Paso said in February that its European trading book had been sold for $80 million but did not disclose the buyer (see Daily GPI, Feb. 28).

One of the energy sector’s currently financially healthy conglomerates, San Diego-based Sempra Energy purchased the natural gas trading book of financially struggling Michigan-based CMS Energy’s trading unit for $17 million, subject to final due-diligence reviews.