Threaten

Absent a reliable grid and “vibrant” wholesale power market, themovement towards open electric competition at the retail levelcould literally collapse, FERC Chairman James Hoecker told statelawmakers and energy producers yesterday.

Saying it is experiencing a shortage of receipts at itsMarshfield, WI, interconnect with Viking that may threaten itssystem integrity, ANR issued an OFO for the point that takes effecttoday. All firm shippers nominating MDQ (Maximum Daily Quantity)with Marshfield as a receipt point must keep their nominations atthose levels until further notice, and all firm shippers nominatingless than MDQ at Marshfield must raise their volumes to MDQ levels.Any firm shipper nominating Marshfield as a delivery point may notincrease volumes until further notice.

CMS Energy settled Federal Trade Commission charges on Fridaythat threaten to hold up its acquisition of Panhandle Eastern andTrunkline Pipeline from Duke Energy. The FTC charged the purchasewould limit pipeline competition in 54 counties in Michigan. Thesettlement allows CMS to close the deal basically unchanged, but itdid delay the closing by many weeks, a CMS official said.