Triples

In a $334 million tax-free stock deal that will triple its gas reserves and double its daily production, Denver-based Westport Resources Corp. announced it will buy Belco Oil & Gas, a peer company similar in structure with mirror assets in the Rocky Mountains, Permian Basin, Gulf Coast region and the Midcontinent.

In a $334 million tax-free stock deal that will triple its gas reserves and double its daily production, Denver-based Westport Resources Corp. announced it will buy Belco Oil & Gas, a peer company similar in structure with mirror assets in the Rocky Mountains, Permian Basin, Gulf Coast region and the Midcontinent.

A rich pocket of natural gas in the shallow waters off the coast of Mississippi is paying off handsomely for Chevron U.S.A. Production Co., which reports that production has more than tripled this year in its Viosca Knoll Carbonate Trend to 230 MMcf/d, up from 60 MMcf/d in 1999.

A rich pocket of natural gas in the shallow waters off the coastof Mississippi is paying off handsomely for Chevron U.S.A.Production Co., which said yesterday that production has more thantripled this year in its Viosca Knoll Carbonate Trend to 230MMcf/d, up from 60 MMcf/d in 1999.

Producers are in for a very profitable year if recent third quarterearnings reports are any indication. Following on EOG’s announcementTuesday of a 250% earnings hike, Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy)Wednesday reported a three-fold increase in third quarter earningscompared to the same period last year, going from $126 million ($0.35per share) in 3Q99 to $402 million ($1.09 per share) in 3Q2000 (seeDaily GPI, Oct. 18).

Building on a tripling of the financial contribution of itsDynegy Marketing and Trade division, Dynegy Inc. announced itsthird-quarter recurring earnings per share of $0.55 will topanalysts’ estimates of $0.50 per share.

Building on a tripling of the financial contribution of its Dynegy Marketing and Trade division, Dynegy Inc. announced its third-quarter recurring earnings per share of $0.55 will top analysts’ estimates of $0.50 per share.

The planned capacity additions announced by merchant power plantdevelopers for the U.S. market have more than tripled in less thantwo years, confirming that power suppliers are “aggressivelyresponding” to market demands for more generation and greatersystem reliability, according to the Electric Power SupplyAssociation (EPSA).