Winter

As winter approaches it may be only a matter of time before the gas market bears run out of fundamentals pointing in their favor, but right now offshore gas production shut-ins are falling steadily, Texas production is on the rise, and the warm weather and downward price pressure continues.

With natural gas consumers across much of the U.S. facing potentially steep increases in their natural gas bills this winter, an energy attorney and former FERC general counsel, on Wednesday predicted that “at some point soon we will see somebody in Congress call for the reregulation of natural gas wellhead prices.”

While New England may have some gas delivery concerns this winter because of production shut ins in the Gulf and no growth in Sable Island production, the region may be struggling through an oversupply situation between 2008 and 2010.

Canadian natural gas exports to the United States continued to grow last winter following a growth track that was restarted during the last contract year, data from the National Energy Board (NEB) show. Canadian pipeline exports climbed by 8.5% during the first four months of the new contract year that ends Oct. 31, according to NEB records.

While winter may be officially coming to an end, WSI Corp. said the April-through-June period should average cooler than normal in the major cities of the northeastern United States, along with the entire southwestern quarter of the country.

While winter may be officially coming to an end, WSI Corp. said the April-through-June period should average cooler than normal in the major cities of the northeastern United States, along with the entire southwestern quarter of the country.

Despite weather conditions more resembling mid-winter than nearly spring being due to persist into the weekend in the Northeast and much of the Midwest, this week’s three-day price climb reversed direction Thursday. Northeast citygates, which had led the trek higher earlier in the week, saw the biggest drops of up to nearly 80 cents Thursday. Elsewhere, a couple of flat points crept their way into overall declines ranging from about a nickel to a quarter.

While this winter has been milder than normal in many areas of the country, WSI Corp. said the Northeast could experience a chill this spring. In the company’s just released seasonal forecast for March through May, the forecaster expects the period to average cooler-than-normal temperatures generally north of a boundary that extends from Spokane, WA to Dallas, TX to Washington, DC.

While this winter has been milder than normal in many areas of the country, WSI Corp. said the Northeast could experience a chill this Spring. In the company’s just released seasonal forecast for March through May, the forecaster expects the period to average cooler-than-normal temperatures generally north of a boundary that extends from Spokane, WA to Dallas, TX to Washington, DC.