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Joining a short list of other states, New Jersey opened upentirely to gas supplier choice earlier last week. At a specialmeeting on Jan. 10, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approved ofeach of the state’s four main gas utilities’ unbundling plans. Thelegislation calling for this deregulation was enacted lastFebruary.

Joining a short list of other states, New Jersey opened upentirely to gas supplier choice earlier this week. At a specialmeeting on Jan. 10, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approved ofeach of the state’s four main gas utilities’ unbundling plans. Thelegislation calling for this deregulation was enacted lastFebruary.

In the latest of a string of bullish reports for the gasindustry, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA)recently-published Short-Term Energy Outlook projected prices inthe coming months to be 25% to 30% higher than last winter. It alsosaid that demand, which the EIA said rose by less than 1% in 1999compared to 1998, is poised to grow 4.6% in 2000. The demand jump,which puts the consumption level at 22.4 Tcf, represents anincrease of 1 Tcf over 1999’s consumption levels.

In the latest of a string of bullish reports for the gasindustry, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Short-TermEnergy Outlook projected prices in the coming months to be 25% to30% higher than last winter. It also said that demand, which theEIA said rose by less than 1% in 1999 compared to 1998, is poisedto grow 4.6% in 2000. The demand jump, which puts the consumptionlevel at 22.4 Tcf, represents an increase of 1 Tcf over 1999’sconsumption levels.

Absent anything in the way of new influences from weather orfutures, most of the market went into a holding pattern Thursday.Mild softness permeated much of the general flatness as what wasconsidered a bullish storage injection report Wednesday afternoonfailed to provide support for cash prices. Northeast citygates fellabout a nickel, resuming their decline after a brief respite fromthe softness that had prevailed since the first of the month.

Traders made it two in a row yesterday at the New YorkMercantile Exchange as they covered shorts and bid up natural gasprices for the second straight session ahead of cooler weatherexpected next week.

CIG said Monday current weather conditions and the short-rangeforecast would allow it to lift today the OFO that took effect Nov.11. However, because of high storage inventories and the resultantinflexibility in handling excess positive imbalances orabove-contract injections, the pipeline declared a StrainedOperating Condition effective today until further notice. Nopayback nominations are being accepted.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Chairman Bob Anthony stillbelieves his state’s ratepayers are getting the short end of thestick in a 10-year supply contract that Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG)originally made with now-bankrupt Dynamic Energy Resources. That1993 contract was divided and transferred to two other suppliersnow serving the utility under the original terms.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Chairman Bob Anthony still isnot satisfied that his state’s ratepayers are not getting the shortend of the stick in a 10-year supply contract between OklahomaNatural Gas (ONG) and Dynamic Energy Resources. In a press releaseissued earlier this week, Anthony charges under the contract ONG ispaying 50% more than it should be for some of its gas supply andpassing the cost on to consumers.