Natural gas-fired power plants will likely give coal-fired generators some time off this summer, at least in some regions of the country, as coal and gas are set to fight for market share for a second year in a row and coal will help define gas prices for a portion of the year, analysts at Barclays Capital said Tuesday.
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Winter’s End in Sight? Prices Fall at All Points
Moderating late-February weather forecasts in some regions, the prior-day fall of 21.4 cents by March futures and the ever-present comfort level of ample storage inventories combined to drive cast prices lower across the board Friday. The usual weekend drop of industrial load was an additional bearish factor.
Winter’s End in Sight? Prices Fall at All Points
Moderating late-February weather forecasts in some regions, the prior-day fall of 21.4 cents by March futures and the ever-present comfort level of ample storage inventories combined to drive cast prices lower across the board Friday. The usual weekend drop of industrial load was an additional bearish factor.
Nearly All Points Fall as Short Blizzard Respite Due
With some of the regions hardest hit by severe wintry weather last week getting a breathing spell during the weekend before the next onslaught is predicted to start early this week — and a long holiday weekend contributing its extra interruption of industrial load — prices fell at nearly all points Friday. The previous day’s 10.4-cent increase by March futures apparently had little impact on the cash market.
Nearly All Points Fall as Short Blizzard Respite Due
With some of the regions hardest hit by severe wintry weather last week getting a breathing spell during the weekend before the next onslaught is predicted to start early this week — and a long holiday weekend contributing its extra interruption of industrial load — prices fell at nearly all points Friday. The previous day’s 10.4-cent increase by March futures apparently had little impact on the cash market.
Screen, Residual Cold Lift Prices at All But One Point
The screen gain of 14.2 cents a day earlier helped the continuing cold weather in several regions to boost prices in nearly all of the cash market Thursday. Lows in the 20s and teens remained in the Friday forecast for a majority of locations in the Northeast, Midwest, Upper Plains, Rockies and Western Canada. Eastern Canada was getting even colder conditions, with lows on either side of 10 predicted for Montreal and Toronto.
Extended Chill Puts Upward Pressure Back on $6 Futures
The continuation of bone-chilling cold in a number of high gas usage regions allowed February natural gas futures on Monday to rebound from Thursday’s storage report-induced slump. The prompt-month contract recorded a high of $5.894 in morning trade and went on to close out the regular session at $5.884, up 31.2 cents from Thursday’s finish.
Futures Continue Higher as $5.50 Level is Breached
Backed by the recent stretch of colder weather in a number of high-gas demand regions, traders continued to keep upward pressure on the natural gas futures market on Tuesday as the front-month contract made yet another new high — both outright and on a closing basis — for the bull move that began three months ago.
Winter Cold Snap Pushes Prices to $5
The first taste of cold and snow in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions this past weekend combined with another cold front on Monday in the West to help give natural gas futures bulls some traction as the January contract shot 38.5 cents higher on Monday to close at $4.971.
Weather Load Not Major, But Most Points Up Anyway
Despite a mid-term outlook for mostly moderate temperatures in nearly all regions and warnings of excess supplies at some locations in the West, cash prices were higher at most points Monday. A return of freezing lows in the Rockies after a relatively mild weekend, along with temperatures dipping into the 30s in both the Northeast and Midwest, got a modest amount of support from industrial demand returning from its typical weekend hiatus in boosting cash quotes.