Sectors

While the economy continues to send shivers through various clean fuel sectors, California’s budding electric and natural gas transportation space remains healthy and optimistic, according to major utilities in the state. Several officials told NGI in January that both the infrastructure and the vehicles (dedicated and converted) are taking shape in the nation’s most automobile-dense state.

While the economy continues to send shivers through various clean fuel sectors, California’s budding electric and natural gas transportation space remains healthy and optimistic, according to major utilities in the state. They told NGI that both the infrastructure and the vehicles (dedicated and converted) are taking shape in the nation’s most automobile-dense state.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski held a one-day Energy Summit last Wednesday for the major stakeholders from the public and private sectors in his state, and in his opening and closing remarks he broadened his outlook to be all-inclusive of various traditional and alternative energy options, including the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Kulongoski would not rule out any options and said he will soon create a new state unit to ferret them out.

Citing the lack of coordination between the scheduling practices of the natural gas and electric sectors, FERC on Wednesday instituted a Section 206 inquiry under the Federal Power Act (FPA) into the scheduling and compensation mechanisms of independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs).

With active pursuers from the private and public sectors courting its favor, Sioux Falls, SD-based NorthWestern Corp.’s board Tuesday confirmed that it has entered confidentiality agreements with an unspecified “select number” of suitors. In a terse status report to shareholders, the board confirmed that its assessment of all of its “strategic options,” including the two outstanding public offers, is still incomplete and it needs what it called “formal due diligence.”

The skyrocketing global energy prices so far have not had the feared negative impacts on the overall U. S. economy and in some sectors, such as alternative energy development, may be a plus, according to a composite report from a panel of nine analysts at Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services, speaking on a conference call Monday. An S&P economist attributed the lack of major negative impact so far to the fact that energy’s portion of the nation’s gross national product (GNP) is about half what it was a generation ago.

Historic high energy prices have Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raising different issues for the natural gas and coal sectors, according to previews Thursday of special “CreditWeek” reports scheduled to be released next week. For natural gas, the over-concentration of critical infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico region has been exposed; and for coal, financial and business-risk vulnerability are surfacing despite an 18-month steady run-up in prices, S&P said.

All sectors of the energy industry worldwide enjoyed a second consecutive “superb” year in 2004, with larger gains than broad market indices, according to the 2004 Year End Peer Group Stock Market Performance Review by consulting firm John S. Herold Inc.

All sectors of the energy industry worldwide enjoyed a second consecutive “superb” year in 2004, with larger gains than broad market indices, according to the 2004 Year End Peer Group Stock Market Performance Review by consulting firm John S. Herold Inc.