Substantial

Hoping for higher natural gas prices is not a strategy for El Paso Corp., CEO Doug Foshee said Friday. Instead, his company plans to use substantial hedges, a liquid balance sheet and flexible spending to guard against an uncertain future.

With the substantial added global capacity and decreased demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, spot cargoes are likely to dominate worldwide gas markets in the next two years, with very few long-term contracts being signed, according to Sempra Energy CEO Donald Felsinger.

Based on some solid increases in heating load in parts of the West and not quite as substantial gains in other areas, prices were flat to higher at virtually all points Wednesday. The cash market also had meager prior-day screen support from the 5.3-cent gain by April futures on Tuesday.

Losses moderately outnumbered gains in Friday’s cash market as growth of heating load in the South was offset by still-substantial but eroding weather-based demand in the Northeast, Midwest/Midcontinent and Rockies.

Nationwide implementation of smart grid technology would have “a substantial and immediate impact” on the U.S. electricity system and deliver “immense environmental benefits” by reducing carbon emissions, according to CURRENT Group LLC CEO Tom Casey.

A substantial and potentially prolonged downturn in the demand for global drilling and oilfield services — particularly onshore North America — led Moody’s Investors Service last week to lower its outlook on the sector to “negative” from “stable.”

A substantial and potentially prolonged downturn in the demand for global drilling and oilfield services — particularly onshore North America — led Moody’s Investors Service Monday to lower its outlook on the sector to “negative” from “stable.”

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and its partners Monday announced a “substantial” discovery at the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Heidelberg prospect, which is located in Green Canyon Block 859.

The pipeline industry worldwide is set to ramp up substantial capacity additions between now and 2013, with natural gas pipelines responsible for 63% of total capital expenditures (capex) over the period, according to a report.