Regional

A tightening squeeze by high fuel prices and a regional surplus of generating capacity is pushing Alberta toward adding electricity to its traditional product lines of natural gas and oil as Canada’s principal energy exporting jurisdiction.

Stringent new state, regional and federal air emissions requirements will force “significant” shifts in utility strategies and coal distribution patterns, and they will require utility investments of up to $64 billion to achieve large reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury emissions by 2020, according to a study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA).

Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN), the former regional interstate natural gas pipeline company for PG&E Corp., jumped up five notches from a “CC” to “A-” credit rating under Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ system, reflecting its new standing as a wholly owned part of TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. However, S&P designated the pipeline’s outlook as “negative,” reflecting TransCanada’s own similar outlook and what the rating agency called “an above-average business profile and a somewhat weak financial profile.”

Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN), the former regional interstate natural gas pipeline company for PG&E Corp., jumped up five notches from a “CC” to “A-” credit rating under Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ system, reflecting its new standing as a wholly owned part of TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. However, S&P designated the pipeline’s outlook as “negative,” reflecting TransCanada’s own similar outlook and what the rating agency called “an above-average business profile and a somewhat weak financial profile.”

A burst of drilling, described as nothing short of heroic by regional standards, has arrested the two-year-old decline in Canadian natural gas supplies at least for now. Production grew by 2% during the first third of this year to about 17.3 Bcf/d compared to 17 Bcf/d from January through April of 2003, according to records kept by Statistics Canada.

A burst of drilling, described as nothing short of heroic by regional standards, has arrested the two-year-old decline in Canadian natural gas supplies at least for now. Production grew by 2% during the first third of this year to about 17.3 Bcf/d compared to 17 Bcf/d from January through April of 2003, according to records kept by Statistics Canada.

Two regional natural gas trade groups and a Houston energy company said last week they are developing a generic written integrity management program to help interstate gas pipelines and distribution companies meet the requirements of the pipeline safety rule that was issued by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in late 2003 and took effect earlier this year.

Two regional natural gas trade groups and a Houston energy company said Monday they are developing a generic written integrity management program to help interstate gas pipelines and distribution companies meet the requirements of the pipeline safety rule that was issued by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) in late 2003 and took effect earlier this year.

Regional variations in upward price trends tended to even out a bit Tuesday. With scattered exceptions, nearly all points were united in seeing gains ranging from a little less than 15 cents to about 35 cents; however, the lion’s share of increases were clustered around the 20-25 cents range. The primary skewing came in most of the smaller gains being recorded in the West.