Tallies

In a report released on Thursday, the Minerals Management Service reported that as of Dec. 31, 2000, there were about 24.6 Tcf of natural gas proved reserves and about 3 billion barrels of petroleum liquids (both oil and natural gas condensate) in 875 proved active fields of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf.

Despite the now infamous bust in gas-fired combined cycle power generation projects in development and even under construction, combined cycled capacity additions are expected to top 78,000 MW during 2003 and 2004, according to Arlington, VA-based consulting firm Energy Ventures Analysis Inc. However, actual operating results will fall far short of nameplate capacity, EVA predicted, because of tight spark spreads.

Despite the now infamous bust in gas-fired combined cycle power generation projects in development and even under construction, combined cycled capacity additions are expected to top 78,000 MW during 2003 and 2004, according to Arlington, VA-based consulting firm Energy Ventures Analysis Inc. However, actual operating results will fall far short of nameplate capacity, EVA predicted, because of tight spark spreads.

CapacityCenter.com, which tracks released capacity transactions across the North American pipeline grid, said 15.6 Tcf of released capacity was traded last year, nearly 75% of total U.S. gas consumption, and the top 25 capacity traders did 49% of the transactions representing about 72% of the total.

In one of the largest open season tallies ever, El Paso Natural Gas reported last week that it received 127 shipper requests for a total of 9.7 Bcf/d of firm transportation capacity in its recent March open season for an expansion to California (see NGI, March 19). A total of 76 shippers requested 4.5 Bcf/d for deliveries to the California border or inside the state and a total of 51 requested 5.2 Bcf/d for deliveries to states east of California.

In a new analysis of power demand growth, Colorado-basedResource Data International (RDI) projects slightly over 186,000 MWof primarily gas-fired electric generating capacity will have to beadded by 2010 nationwide to meet burgeoning demand and to replaceretiring nuclear and non-nuclear capacity. The cost approaches $90billion.