utilities

Minnegasco received approval from the Minnesota Public UtilitiesCommission (MPUC) for a fixed-rate pilot program scheduled to beginNov. 1 in Mankato and North Mankato, MN. The program offers about12,700 residential and 1,600 commercial customers the option ofbeing billed a fixed rate for gas for one year. If successful, theprogram could be expanded to other communities served byMinnegasco.

The battle over the next gas distribution frontier is continuingin Maine with the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) grantingBangor Gas Co. unconditional authority to provide gas distributionservice to five municipalities in the greater Bangor area. BangorGas, a joint venture of Bangor Hydro and Energy Pacific, iscompeting for market share in the area with CMP Natural Gas, ajoint venture of Central Maine Power and New York State Electric& Gas. Both projects are intended to provide new gas serviceonce Maritimes and Northeast comes on line in November 1999.

Enron’s announcement last week that it will be terminating itsresidential power marketing efforts in several states should be awake up call for the gas industry as well, where the pace of changetoward retail competition has been a disappointment for manyobservers.

The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) has voted downthe BC Gas Southern Crossing Pipeline, a $350 million pipeline thatwould have paralleled the existing BC Gas mainline in southernBritish Columbia between Yahk and Oliver.

While some local gas utilities will continue struggling toinsulate their small customers from high gas prices and pricevolatility, NIPSCO announced yesterday it will begin offeringselect residential customers and all of its non-residential buyersan option of fixing or capping their commodity prices for up to oneyear starting in May. The program was approved last October as partof NIPSCO’s Alternative Regulatory Plan.

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) today received approval from theWashington State Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) tomake natural gas available for the first time to portions ofKittitas County.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Tuesday approved gassupply agreements between a coalition of state utilities and fourCanadian suppliers for up to 105 Bcf/year for five years to bedelivered through the proposed Viking Voyageur pipeline.