Slashes

NiSource Inc. announced after the market closed on Tuesday that it would slash its dividend 21% to support its “credit profile, improve cash flow and position the company to deliver improved long-term value to shareholders.” The move follows the sale of its exploration and production (E&P) business last week, which enabled the company to fully exit the nonregulated side of the energy business activities (see Daily GPI, July 7).

Looking for a way to turn things around in the difficult energy marketplace, TXU Corp. last week shook up its senior management structure, while at the same time announcing that the company is in the process of reducing officers overall by about 30%. The moves are part of the company’s action plan to cut 2003 costs by a net $250 million from 2002 levels, aimed at streamlining the organization and increasing focus on the operations of its core businesses in North America.

Looking for a way to turn things around in the difficult energy marketplace, TXU on Wednesday shook up its senior management structure, while at the same time it announced the company is in the process of reducing officers overall by about 30%. The moves are part of the company’s action plan to cut 2003 costs by a net $250 million from 2002 levels, aimed at streamlining the organization and increasing focus on the operations of its core businesses in North America.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered El Paso Corp.’s credit ratings to ‘B+’ from ‘BB’ on Friday, ending a long and difficult week, that included a 42% collapse in El Paso’s stock price to $4.92/share on Friday from Monday’s open. Investors dumped the company’s stock after it announced that it would cut its dividend 82% to 16 cents annually, sell off another $2.9 billion in assets and exit the rapidly growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) business.

Clearly unimpressed with NRG Energy’s efforts so far to unload more than 12,000 MW in power assets that it desperately needs to sell in order to shore up its finances, Moody’s Investors Service last Thursday lowered the debt ratings on the Minneapolis-based subsidiary of Xcel Energy. Fearing that Xcel Energy will get burned by the large amount of investments it has made in NRG Energy, Moody’s also lowered the debt ratings on Xcel Energy.

Following through on earnings-related warnings it issued this spring, PNM Resources last Tuesday said continued weakness in the wholesale power market has caused the utility to drastically drop its 2002 earnings estimate from $3.00 per share to between $1.90 to $2.10 per share. In order to rein in expenses, the Albuquerque, NM-based company is taking the hatchet to its construction expenditure plans for this year by slashing its planned budget in this area by $111 million.

The drastic moves announced during a conference call is part of the continuing fallout from Enron Corp.’s bankruptcy, a lack of investor confidence and the recession. In Enron’s wake, merchant energy companies have been especially hard hit, with their stock prices plummeting and bond ratings dropping. Moody’s Investors Service downgraded $4.9 billion of Mirant’s debt to junk late on Wednesday.

Cinergy Corp., the owner of Cincinnati Gas & Electric(CG&E), experienced a corporate makeover recently as it soldits nonregulated retail gas marketing unit, Cinergy Resources, toan integrated energy services cooperative called The EnergyCooperative (TEC) for an undisclosed sum and set plans in motion tocut its corporate center staff by more than 50%.

In a move to cut debt and costs by reducing its propertyinventory, Dallas-based Pioneer Natural Resources agreed to sellcertain oil and gas properties to Costilla Energy Inc. for $410million. The transaction will be effective Oct. 1 and is expectedto close by year-end. Despite the recent volatility in oil and gasprices, the company said the price falls within its expectations.