Subsidiary

Nipsco Industries Inc. subsidiary Energy USA Inc. last week completed its acquisition of TPC Corp., including its 66% interest in Market Hub Partners LP. The deal was finalized April 1 and is valued at about $150 million.

Crossroads Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Nipsco Industries, said Thursday its open season to test shipper interest in the Crossroads Pipeline expansion exceeded the company’s expectations. Companies expressed interest in over 600,000 Dth/d for the proposed interconnect. The open season for the Crossroads expansion began February 16 and ended March 31.

Nipsco Industries Inc. said subsidiary Energy USA Inc. completedits acquisition of TPC Corp., including its 66% interest in MarketHub Partners LP. The deal was finalized April 1 and is valued atabout $150 million.

CMS Energy Corp. last week continued building what’s shaping up to be a Powder River Basin dynasty. Subsidiary CMS Continental Natural Gas agreed with Pennaco Energy, and CMS corporate affiliate CMS Oil and Gas to gather coal-bed methane gas from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana.

Less than a week after buying the gas marketing operations ofSemco Energy, MCN Energy subsidiary CoEnergy Trading announced thepurchase of Michigan-based Howard Energy Marketing’s retail gasmarketing assets for an undisclosed amount. The purchases aredesigned to bolster MCN’s unregulated marketing operations and itsinterest in the proposed Vector and Millennium Pipeline projects,which will add 1 Bcf/d of new gas transportation capacity throughthe region starting in November 2000, the company said.

CMS Energy Corp. subsidiary CMS Continental Natural Gas Inc.agreed with Pennaco Energy Inc., and CMS corporate affiliate CMSOil and Gas to gather coal-bed methane gas from the Powder RiverBasin in Wyoming and Montana. CMS Continental is to providelong-term, low-pressure gathering. The deal includes an acreagededication of more than 580,000 acres in the Powder River Basinwithin the previously announced CMS Oil and Gas/Pennaco Energy Areaof Mutual Interest.

Less than a week after buying the gas marketing operations ofSemco Energy, MCN Energy subsidiary CoEnergy Trading announced itis buying Michigan-based Howard Energy Marketing’s retail gasmarketing assets for an undisclosed amount. The purchases aredesigned to bolster MCN’s unregulated marketing operations and itsinterest in the proposed Vector and Millennium Pipeline projects,which will add 1 Bcf/d of new gas transportation capacity throughthe region starting in November 2000, the company said.

Midcoast Energy subsidiary Midcoast Canada Operating Corp.bought the Calmar gas treating plant and gathering system inAlberta from Probe Exploration Inc. for C$20 million (US$13.2million). The company has its sights on similar acquisitions in thefuture.

Pennaco Energy and TransMontaigne Inc. subsidiary Bear PawEnergy signed a gathering agreement in which Bear Paw will buildand operate a new gathering line in the Powder River Basin ofnortheastern Wyoming and provide services to about 10% of Pennaco’scoal-bed methane program in the basin. The agreement covers thePennaco “South Gillette,” WY contract area, including over 8,600gross leasehold acres and 200 potential well locations. Pennaco hasdrilled and is in the process of testing and completing its first100 wells in the area. The Bear Paw gathering systems will connectPennaco’s gas wells to several major pipelines, including theWestern Gas Resources MIGC Pipeline, currently transporting up to130 MMcf/d of coal-bed gas, the recently announced Fort Union GasPipeline projected to be in service by September of this year, andthe proposed Thunder Creek Pipeline. The remaining 90% of Pennaco’s312,000 net acres in the Powder River will be devoted to FortUnion.