utilities

Three Pennsylvania LDCs filed restructuring plans with thePennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last week to expandsupplier choice within the state. Filing plans were Columbia Gas ofPennsylvania, Peoples Natural Gas and PG Energy, a subsidiary ofPennsylvania Enterprises Inc. As part of the Natural Gas Choice andCompetition Act passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly June17, each gas utility is required to submit a restructuring plan tothe PUC by Nov. 1.

Seeking increased growth opportunities, Citizens Utilities ofStamford, CT, is getting out of the business of distributing gas,electricity and water in order to invest in telecommunications. Thecompany is divesting its Public Services distribution businesses,as well as its wastewater treatment business. As previouslyannounced, Citizens plans to fund $2.3 billion of telephone accessline acquisitions with sale proceeds.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania filed its restructuring plan withthe Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Monday in an effort toexpand its supplier choice program statewide. As part of theNatural Gas Choice and Competition Act passed by the PennsylvaniaGeneral Assembly June 17, each gas utility is required to submit arestructuring plan to the PUC by Nov. 1.

The national heat wave continued through Friday into theweekend, and electric utilities continued to use appeals forcustomer conservation and other demand-side management tools tokeep juice flowing as needed. But the heavy cooling load lost itsability to keep cash gas prices moving higher. Instead, most pointswere about a dime or more down in flows for the last day of July,and although quotes for Sunday and Monday tended to surpass thosefor Saturday, they still were below monthly indexes. Sources citedthe usual drop in weekend demand, a small screen decrease andforecasts that major market areas will have cooled off a bit bytoday as reasons for the softness.

Reaching a 30 Tcf gas market will greatly benefit the nation’spower market, so it only makes sense that electric utilities shouldhelp the gas industry achieve that goal, said Thomas Kuhn,president of Edison Electric Institute (EEI). Kuhn, speakingyesterday at the Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington D.C., saidthe convergence between the industries has become such a force thatthe EEI, whose members generate and distribute roughlythree-fourths of the nation’s electricity, is planning to take amore active role in helping the gas industry meet its demand.

After more than five months of operating short-handed, thefive-member California Public Utilities Commission has gone throughits version of governor’s appointees “musical chairs” in less thana week. First, there were two “temporary” appointees announcedinformally two weeks ago. Then two permanent, six-year appointeeswere named by Gov. Gray Davis.

After more than five months of operating short-handed, thefive-member California Public Utilities Commission has gone throughits version of governor’s appointees “musical chairs” in less thana week. First, there were two “temporary” appointees announcedinformally at the end of last week. Then on Wednesday twopermanent, six-year appointees were named by Gov. Gray Davis.

With no notice and little fanfare-not even a press release-theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission got back to full strengthwith two “temporary” appointees, both holding existing appointivepositions in Gov. Gray Davis’ first-year administration. Indicativeof the seemingly low profile Gov. Davis is giving energy issues,the new commissioners were rushed onboard the five-membercommission June 3 so they could participate in some controversialtelecommunications cases.

Petal Gas Storage, a subsidiary of Crystal Oil, announced itsigned a major 20-year gas storage agreement with Southern Co. lastweek for firm deliverability from its Mississippi salt cavernstorage facility of 700,000 MMBtu/d of gas and storage injectioncapacity for 350,000 MMBtu/d. Southern Company Services will managethe capacity and will act as an agent for its affiliated operatingelectric utility companies: Mississippi Power, Alabama Power,Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Savannah Electric.