Views

The views of northwestern utility regulators can differ widely on topics such as climate change, renewable energy, natural gas policy and the development of new nuclear power generation, as revealed by remarks heard Jan. 14 at an industry conference in Seattle.

The views of northwestern utility regulators can differ widely on topics such as climate change, renewable energy, natural gas policy and the development of new nuclear power generation, as revealed by remarks heard Monday at an industry conference.

Fighting what it views as illegal pipeline charges, a coalition of Southern California’s major electricity generators last Monday filed with FERC to get federal regulators to turn back proposed state-sanctioned access fees for interstate shippers wanting to use the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) backbone transmission system. The fees are scheduled to go into effect in the second half of next year.

With the continuing climb of crude oil futures following the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, two industry executives took opposing views on the impact of potential demand destruction on crude oil and natural gas prices Tuesday at the Colorado Oil and Gas Association’s 17th Annual Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference and Investment Forum in Denver on Tuesday.

Despite a dip in the nearby crude oil market, natural gas futures trudged quietly higher Tuesday as traders wrestled with the contradictory forces of supportive technicals and bearish near-term storage outlooks. It wasn’t pretty, but the April contract did manage to eke out a modest 1.5-cent advance to notch its fifth straight daily advance. It closed at $5.565.

Alleviating overbought conditions, natural gas futures sifted lower Friday as traders took profits ahead of the three-day holiday weekend. By checking down to its $5.44 low for the session, the February contract filled in a key level on the charts. It closed at $5.536, down 10.9 cents for the session. Estimated volume was light in Friday’s abbreviated session.

Last week’s price tumble has analysts and traders rethinking the bullish case for longer term natural gas prices. According to one top trader, should prices retreat a little more it will be time to begin purchases.

The natural gas industry’s views on whether FERC should continue to waive price caps on short-term capacity release transactions beyond the Sept. 30 expiration deadline appear to be, at best, mixed. But customers in the West are adamant — they want price caps, at least in some limited form, reinstated in markets served by El Paso Natural Gas and Northwest Pipeline.

The natural gas industry’s views on whether FERC should continue to waive price caps on short-term capacity release transactions beyond the Sept. 30 expiration deadline are, at best, mixed so far. But customers in the West are adamant — they want price caps, at least in some limited form, reinstated in markets served by El Paso Natural Gas and Northwest Pipeline.