Season

An open season announced last week by TransCanada Corp. on the eastern leg of its Mainline has prompted two other pipelines to jump on board with complementary eastbound Marcellus Shale-oriented projects of their own.

A relatively quiet 2013 Atlantic hurricane season and no sign of tropical activity on the horizon has prompted Weather Services International (WSI) to make a significant reduction to its tropical forecast. WSI forecasters said they now expect 15 named storms to form in the Atlantic Basin, including five hurricanes, one of them major (Category 3 or higher).

Natural gas price bears were on the prowl Thursday as unsupportive storage and other bearish fundamental data combined to send natural gas physical and futures values lower. However, with inventory levels apparently already priced into the market, October futures managed to stage an afternoon rally to go off of the board at $3.498, up half a penny. November futures ended the day’s regular session at $3.567, up 2.1 cents. Most cash deals for Friday delivery were down anywhere from a few pennies to a about dime from Wednesday’s averages.

In its first full fall forecast of the year, Weather Services International (WSI) said it expects temperatures nationally to average cooler than normal from the Northern Plains into the Ohio Valley over the next three months, with above-normal temperatures elsewhere, particularly across portions of Texas and the Southwest.

ANR Pipeline Co. on Monday announced two open seasons for projects intended to give Marcellus and Utica shale gas a new export option and access to the pipeline’s markets in the Midwest and Gulf Coast.

The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season is deep into its second half and there has yet to be any significant threat to natural gas and oil interests in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). But with the flood of onshore natural gas that has come out of U.S. shale plays in recent years, would a hurricane in the GOM have the same impact on prices and supply as storms have in the past?

The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season is deep into its second half and there has yet to be any significant threat to natural gas and oil interests in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). But even if a tropical storm were to blow through the GOM, would it have the same impact on prices and supply as storms have in the past?

The months that traditionally see the most tropical storm activity are still to come, but energy interests in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) may be breathing a bit easier after Weather Services International (WSI) again lowered its Atlantic hurricane season projections Thursday.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Thursday morning that while end-of-refill-season working natural gas storage levels are expected to be ample, inventories could enter November at the lowest level in three years.