Targets

Williams yesterday said it is holding an open season throughJune 1 for annual firm service to be created by Transco’s SundanceExpansion Project. The expansion is intended to serve growing powergeneration, residential and commercial gas markets in thesoutheastern United States and is proposed to be in service byApril 2002. Sundance would expand the Transco system from Station65 in Louisiana to Station 165 in Virginia.

The Coastal Corp.’s Wyoming Interstate Co. (WIC) filed anapplication with the FERC for construction of the Medicine BowLateral, a new 134-mile, 24-inch diameter gas pipeline designed toprovide transportation access to the developing Powder River Basinin Wyoming and Montana. Medicine Bow will receive Powder Rivercoal-bed methane gas from pipelines near Glenrock, WY, andtransport it to WIC’s mainline, west of Cheyenne, WY.

Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) has sought FERC authorization tobuild a major expansion/extension of its mainline to providenatural gas to meet the growing fuel needs of power utilities inthe state. If approved by the Commission, the project would makegas available to customers in the southwestern part of the statefor the first time.

Advanced turbine systems (ATS), including microturbines, andfuel cells, took the top dollars in the Department of Energyresearch, development and demonstration budget for FY99, accordingto a budget assessment by the American Gas Association. Overall,AGA estimated DOE’s research funding for natural gas set a newrecord at $246 million. That’s up from the $209 million in thisyear’s budget.

Dynegy added a fourth regional marketing alliance and gainedentry into Georgia’s deregulated gas market by partnering with AGLResources and Piedmont Natural Gas. The three equal partners – whatDynegy CEO Chuck Watson calls a “dream team” – formed SouthStarEnergy Services LLC to offer unregulated energy products andservices to industrial, commercial and residential customers in theSoutheast. Offerings will include gas, electricity, fuel oil andpropane, along with related retail services. The Atlanta-basedcompany will have offices in Charlotte, NC, and Nashville, TN.