California’s continuing uphill struggle for a market-basedsolution to its proposed restructuring of the wholesale natural gastransmission and storage business will be extended through Januaryin hopes that upwards of 75 market participants can attain anegotiated all-party settlement. A California Public UtilitiesCommission administrative law judge overseeing the statewide gascase and the CPUC President Richard Bilas indicated Wednesday (Oct.27) they were willing to allow more time.
Wholesale
Articles from Wholesale
Shippers Blast Sonat’s Proposed Rate Hike
Shippers shot Southern Natural’s proposed rate increase full ofholes last week at FERC. Wholesale and retail marketers, municipaland investor-owned utilities, industrial gas users and gasproducers alike told FERC to deny Sonat’s request that theincreased rates be made effective Oct. 1. There was a unanimouscall for hearings and a suspension of the filing for the fullfive-month period subject to refund.
Sonat’s Proposed Rate Hike Blasted
Shippers shot Southern Natural’s proposed rate increase full ofholes this week at FERC. Wholesale and retail marketers, municipaland investor-owned utilities, industrial gas users and gasproducers alike told FERC to deny Sonat’s request that theincreased rates be made effective Oct. 1. There was a unanimouscall for hearings and a suspension of the filing for the fullfive-month period subject to refund.
Bay State Avoids Bypass, Inks Deal with Muni
Bay State Gas avoided a significant bypass by the MassachusettsMunicipal Wholesale Electric Co. (MMWEC) thanks to landowneropposition to a larger pipeline proposal and a lengthy negotiationprocess. After two years of work on an alternative 15-mile bypassof the Bay State system that would have linked with Tennessee GasPipe Line, MMWEC yesterday signed a 20-year agreement covering 13Bcf/year of new gas transportation on Bay State’s system to servepower generation load.
Illinova Continues Building Retail Operation
Illinova Energy Partners (IEP) purchased another niche retailmarketing operation yesterday to bolster it presence in keyderegulating markets. The company, which has added EMC GasTransmission in Michigan and Equitable Resource Marketing inIndiana during the last six months, purchased Tempe, AZ-basedQuality Energy Services (QES) to gain a foothold in thesoon-to-be-deregulated Arizona energy market.
California ISO Growing Up and Out
California’s experimental nonprofit electric transmission gridand wholesale spot power market operations – the Independent SystemOperator (ISO) and Power Exchange (PX), respectively – are clearlyworking toward becoming larger, multi-state regional operations,according to officials who marked the one-year anniversaries ofboth organizations March 31. A proposed new California law (SB 96)would make it easier for the state to enter compacts with otherwestern states to begin to form the regional power operations.
Automated Marketing Tool Gets Ohio Licensee
Large Ohio wholesale natural gas provider Beldenergy haslicensed Prosper NRG Marketing’s “Direct to Market” service toprovide marketers targeting Columbus, OH, with the capability ofgiving prospective customers “Instant Savings Analysis.”
Enron Exits NM Residential Gas Market
New Mexico is the latest state to be labeled unfit forresidential energy marketing by Enron Corp., North America’slargest wholesale energy marketing firm. As in other states, suchas California, where Enron came to a similar conclusion, thecompany plans to continue participating in commercial andindustrial energy marketing. But the regulatory structure will makeit difficult, if not impossible, to compete profitably against theincumbent gas supplier, Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM),Enron said.
PX May Delay Hourly Power Pricing
The start of hourly electricity pricing in California isexpected to be delayed because the state chartered wholesaleelectricity spot market is encountering logistical and technicalproblems. The Board of Directors for the state Power Exchange (PX)meets today to determine how far into July to postpone the openingof the new market. A formal announcement on a new target date isexpected to be made following the board meeting.
California Electric Competition Kicks Off
California’s retail electric market kicks off in the earlymorning hours today (March 31) with the state-chartered wholesalespot market, the power exchange (PX), processing a market-clearingprice and generation schedules for another newly created statepublic benefits organization, the independent system operator(ISO), that will run the state transmission grid.