Today

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a high-inventory OFO for todaywith $1/dth penalties for positive daily imbalances exceeding a 5%tolerance.

Sonat issued an OFO Type 3, effective today until furthernotice, for four segments: Atlanta Group, South Main Zone 3, Eastof Wrens Group and Savannah Line.

WPS Energy Services, Inc., a subsidiary of WPS Resources Corp.,announced today that it has filed an application with the MichiganPublic Service Commission (MPSC) to build a 3 Bcf capacity naturalgas storage field near Port Huron, MI. The storage facility will belocated near major natural gas pipelines, including: Great LakesGas Transmission, MCN Energy Pipeline and Processing, CMS GasTransmission and Storage, and Vector Pipeline which is slated forOctober 2000 start-up. The facility is also located near thenatural gas trading hub of Dawn in Ontario, Canada.

Transco alerted shippers that some production possibly could beinterrupted today on the Southeast Louisiana Lateral. The U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers is expected to take about eight hours tocomplete matting of the western bank of the Mississippi River.Transco said it will make every operational effort to keep thiswork from impacting production, but curtailments are possible ifunforeseen events lengthen the operation.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. attorneys expect to file a proposedsettlement with state regulators today for reducing imbalances andOFOs on its transmission pipeline system in northern California. Atleast 10 parties have signed in support of the proposed changes,including statewide consumer advocate The Utility Reform Network(TURN), the City of Palo Alto municipal electric utility andmerchant underground natural gas storage operator Wild GooseStorage.

Both Florida Gas Transmission and Pacific Gas & Electricextended low-linepack OFOs (see Daily GPI, Oct. 5)-FGT through Tuesday and PG&Ethrough today. Neither changed the OFO conditions. PG&E posts OFOsa day in advance, while FGT usually re-evaluates system conditionseach morning before deciding whether to declare one for that gas day.

Sonat will be installing facilities today for tie-in of theSandy Hook Line to its system on the Franklinton-Gwinville lines inMississippi, which will require the shut-in of a total of 19 metersin the Hub, Sandy Hook and Dexter fields. The work is expected totake one day but may be extended if problems are encountered. Sonatalso reported beginning maintenance at the Muldon (MS) StorageField that will continue through Oct. 2. The pipeline declared aforce majeure in connection with the project but is not surewhether injection/withdrawal restrictions will be necessary for CSScustomers.

Standard & Poor’s today affirmed the ratings of Duke EnergyCorp. and related entities and assigned a negative rating outlook.

Koch Gateway has planned maintenance for today and Friday forits Index 129 segment (West 30-inch mainline in East Texas). Exceptfor gas received and delivered south of Mile Post 98.33 (Koch’sColorado River crossing near the Wharton/Fort Bend County line),all other receipts south of 98.33 will be scheduled to zero.However, at shippers’ request, up to a total of 233,000 MMBtu/d ofdeliveries (the pipeline’s total firm obligation from the area)will be kept whole.