Sounding

World natural gas production leaders were again sounding the alarm over the creation of an OPEC-style natural gas organization, as energy emissaries of Russia, Iran and Qatar emerged from a meeting in Tehran Tuesday saying they were working on the framework for a group of gas-exporting nations. But industry veterans are questioning what kind of an organization would evolve and how successful it would be.

California energy stakeholders are sounding various levels of alarm as summer nears with both natural gas supply and prices uncertain at best in a state that is highly reliant on the fuel for its electricity generating plants, large industrial loads and home heating needs. A typical homeowner in Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s territory in the northern half of the state is paying $3/month more for gas right now, a utility spokesperson said.

California energy stakeholders are sounding various levels of alarm as summer nears with both natural gas supply and prices uncertain at best in a state that is highly reliant on the fuel for its electricity generating plants, large industrial loads and home heating needs. A typical homeowner in Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s territory in the northern half of the state is paying $3/month more for gas right now, a utility spokesperson said.

Sounding more embittered and hair-trigger-happy with each passing press conference, California’s governor Tuesday continued to draw a line in the sand at $8.9 billion for power supplier refunds at the same time standing ready to negotiate with individual suppliers or small groups for portions of that amount in cash or future price discounts or power contract renegotiations.

Texaco Energy Systems Inc. has teamed up with Reliant Energy Power Systems to develop a space-age sounding energy system for residential and business use. TESI plans to tailor its existing fuel processing technology for REPS’ proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell system prototype. Called the “fuel reformer,” the system would deliver personal power to homes and businesses during peak demand periods.

Texaco Energy Systems Inc. has teamed up with Reliant Energy Power Systems to develop a space-age sounding energy system for residential and business use. TESI plans to tailor its existing fuel processing technology for REPS’ proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell system prototype. Called the “fuel reformer,” the system would deliver personal power to homes and businesses during peak demand periods.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, prices continued to slide Wednesday for pretty much the same reasons that they have through nearly all of the May aftermarket so far: a relative dearth of weather demand for either heating or air conditioning; a weak screen; and a decidedly blasé attitude about any urgency in refilling storage.

First quarter earnings for North American energy companies are sounding a varied tempo in the cacophony of record profits and natural gas production. Texaco Inc., Apache Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. jazzed up their bottom line with producing acquisitions. Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., however, relied on an old Texas saying to “dance with the one who brung ya.” Both ways, it appears, are playing equally well.

Sounding more like a visionary guru than a hard-charging CEO, Dynegy’s Chuck Watson offered up his forecast last week for successful energy companies of the future, telling participants at Energy Economy 2000 in Houston that businesses will need to own the technology they use, recruit and keep technical talent and most important, transform their companies from the traditional asset-driven formula to a knowledge-driven strategy by embracing the Internet.