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Representatives of the major utility industries, natural gas,electricity and telecommunications, met in Houston this week tojointly address Y2K issues. Gary Gardner, chief information officerof the American Gas Association (AGA) cited interlocking activitiesas the basis for the meeting. For instance electricity powers manyof the pipeline compressor stations that keep the natural gasflowing. “Although gas companies have manual overrides that can beused in the event of an electrical power shortage or outage, fieldpersonnel posted at the compressor stations will rely ontelecommunications devices to communicate with their headquarters.

Amway Corp. and Columbia Energy are taking their retail energyalliance to Ohio this month, three months after testing energymarketing strategies in Georgia. Georgia residents who have chosenColumbia Energy through Amway distributors can save as much as 18%per year on the cost of natural gas, according to Columbia.

Portland Natural Gas Transmission System isn’t going to make itssecond start-up deadline this month, but officials are promising tobe in service in early February. The pipeline originally expected152 MMcf/d of Canadian gas would begin flowing to New Englandmarkets last November.

Sumas was making waves in the gas market earlier in the week bybeing the first point to exceed $3 pricing in this winter season.But it was tsunami time Friday as the $3 level was left way behind.How does paying $25/Mcf for Canadian supplies grab you?

A comprehensive report on gas unbundling released by the U.S.General Accounting Office found that as of July 31 of this yearonly about 3.9% of the of the residential gas customers eligible tobuy gas from suppliers other than their regulated gas utility weredoing so. Roughly 553,000 residential gas users behind thecitygates of 43 gas utilities in 16 states were participating incustomer choice programs. Commercial participation levels were notavailable. The report, titled Energy Deregulation: Status ofNatural Gas Customer Choice Programs, was requested by Sens. JeffBingaman (D-NM) and Dale L. Bumpers (D-AK).

A comprehensive report on gas unbundling released by the U.S.General Accounting Office found that as of July 31 of this yearonly about 3.9% of the of the residential gas customers eligible tobuy gas from suppliers other than their regulated gas utility weredoing so. Roughly 553,000 residential gas users behind thecitygates of 43 gas utilities in 16 states were participating incustomer choice programs. Commercial participation levels were notavailable. The report, titled Energy Deregulation: Status ofNatural Gas Customer Choice Programs, was requested by Sens. JeffBingaman (D-NM) and Dale L. Bumpers (D-AK).

Consolidation continued last week among Massachusetts utilities, this time with an electric planning to buy a combination utility in a move that follows the maxim that bigger is better in a deregulated market. Boston Edison parent BEC Energy and Cambridge, MA-based gas and power holding company Commonwealth Energy System plan to merge in a cash and stock deal.

State hearings began this week in Sacramento on what could bethe first of more than a dozen new natural gas-fired merchant powerplants built in California in the first years of the next century.A 500 MW, $300 million electric power plant in northern California,the Sutter Power Project sponsored by San Jose, CA-based Calpine,is expected to complete public hearings before the CaliforniaEnergy Commission (CEC) before Thanksgiving, gain a proposeddecision by late December and a final approval for construction inMarch 1999, according to Roger Johnson, CEC siting program manager.

Only five of a possible 19 marketers are making deliveries toabout 16,000 out of 1.4 million customers of Atlanta Gas Light thismonth, but it’s a start in the LDC’s state-approved plan to workits way out of the regulated merchant business.