Rates

Apache Corp. enters the new year with rising production, cash on its balance sheet and access to credit markets “at very acceptable rates,” CEO G. Steven Farris said last Wednesday as he warned that less well positioned companies could be up for grabs given the tight market for credit.

Apache Corp. enters the new year with rising production, cash on its balance sheet and access to credit markets “at very acceptable rates,” CEO G. Steven Farris said Wednesday as he warned that less well positioned companies could be up for grabs given the tight market for credit.

Spokane, WA-based Avista Corp. last Wednesday asked regulators in Idaho and Washington state to reduce the utility’s retail natural gas rates to reflect the recent decline in wholesale energy prices. Avista asked for Idaho and Washington reductions of 4.7% and 3%, respectively, effective later in January.

FERC has approved a Houston-based start-up company’s proposal to build the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak-shaving storage facility in Florida.

The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to dismiss a Dominion East Ohio (DEO) application for an increase in gas distribution rates because the utility has failed to publish complete public notices of its application, which has since been consolidated with an infrastructure replacement program, the OCC said. Also last week, an auction for gas supply raised the rate that standard service offer (SSO) customers will pay if they buy their gas supply from DEO.

The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to dismiss a Dominion East Ohio (DEO) application for an increase in gas distribution rates because the utility has failed to publish complete public notices of its application, which has since been consolidated with a infrastructure replacement program, the OCC said.

Feeling the pinch as energy, feedstock and transportation costs continue to rise at staggering rates, chemical manufacturing giant Dow Chemical Co. said that as of June 1 it will raise the price of all of its products by up to 20% — depending on their exposure to the various rising costs — and will review all terms to all customers.

Sempra Energy CEO Don Felsinger said Tuesday California offers several regulatory advantages to utilities, such as Sempra’s two in Southern California — rates not dependent on ever-increasing sales volumes, and return on equity (ROE) that is relatively generous.

Calling it “barely noticeable” to natural gas utility consumers, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) raised natural gas rates 0.7% for Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities’ 92,355 Oregon customers, effective Tuesday. This is the first of two small gas rate hikes the PUC has authorized for Avista this year.