storage

El Paso reported Friday its system integrity was threatened byhigh linepack and it was making maximum injections at theWashington Ranch storage facility. The pipeline said it had imposedcustody limits at delivery points that are not taking scheduledquantities, and if necessary will limit overdeliveries at receiptpoints.

In response to recent mild temperatures and tame storagewithdrawals, natural gas spot prices are expected to fall further,possibly as low as $5.50/MMBtu by the next reported index,according to analysts with UBS Warburg. The level is far below the$7.00 mark the firm predicted in January.

NGPL waived the monthly net withdrawal minimums through Marchfor storage customers under Rate Schedule DSS. It also waived for2001 a requirement that 50% of DSS inventory be cycled by April 30of each year.

Generally the cash market failed to find any support from eitherAGA’s big storage withdrawal report Wednesday afternoon or thescreen’s strong push upwards Thursday. With the exception ofupticks at a few scattered points, cash numbers ranged from flat todown nearly a dollar at Transco Zone 6 (NYC). Most of the declineswere between about a nickel and 30 cents.

Pacific Gas & Electric did not extend a systemwide OFObeyond Wednesday.

Sonat lifted Saturday an OFO Type 1 and force majeure associatedwith a shut-in test of its Bear Creek (LA) Storage Facility. BearCreek’s injection/withdrawal capacity was restored to 100%.

Questar canceled Thursday the shut-in of its Clay Basin storagefacility that had been scheduled for Oct. 24-25. The maintenancework will be rescheduled next spring.

As expected, the cash market used the bullish futures reactionto Wednesday afternoon’s storage report as a springboard foracross-the-board gains of about a dime or more Thursday. But a latescreen retreat, continued lack of cooling load in northern marketareas and the usual dropoff in weekend demand raised doubts aboutany further increases today.

El Paso declared an Unauthorized Overpull Penalty situationTuesday effective until further notice. Washington Ranch StorageField is experiencing maximum withdrawals, the pipeline said, andit will limit scheduled volumes at underperforming interconnects toensure system integrity.