In response to a case forged in the extreme wholesale natural gas price volatility times of December 2000, the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday took the middle ground in applying its policy restricting the switching of large commercial/industry customers back and forth between non-core and core status. In the latter case, customers want utility protection when gas rates spike.
Swapping
Articles from Swapping
Aquila Swapping Gas for Power in MS
UtiliCorp subsidiary Aquila Energy contracted for the option toprovide gas in exchange for power at one of three combined cyclepower units being built in Batesville, MS, by LSP Energy LimitedPartnership. The unit is expected to go on line by summer of 2000.Under the initial 15-year agreement, Aquila will provide gas to runthe unit, and in exchange LSP will provide Aquila the power andelectrical capacity.
EEX Swapping Permian Properties for GOM
EEX Corp. agreed to trade substantially all of its Permian Basinproperties in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico for the shallowwater properties located off the coast of Texas and Louisiana ofEnergen Resources Corp., the oil and gas subsidiary of EnergenCorp. In addition to the shelf properties, EEX will receive $9million in cash. “This trade is another step in our strategy toexit the onshore business and focus on offshore Gulf of Mexico.These new properties will improve near-term production of naturalgas and will contribute to improving our cost structure by loweringper unit production costs while eliminating overhead costs relatedto onshore properties,” said Tom Hamilton, EEX CEO.
Union Pacific, Koch Swapping Assets
Union Pacific Fuels and three Wichita, KS-based affiliates ofKoch Industries exchanged certain gas and gas liquids assets inEast Texas and Southern Louisiana. The Koch companies will receivea portion of Union Pacific’s interest in the Panola Pipeline, whichruns from Carthage, TX, to Mont Belvieu, TX. In addition, the Kochcompanies will receive Union Pacific’s interest in the Mont BelvieuI fractionator as well as the Patterson and Calumet gas plants inSouthern Louisiana.