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Petal Gas Storage, a subsidiary of Crystal Oil, announced itsigned a major 20-year gas storage agreement with Southern Co.yesterday 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.

Some of the “most pronounced” turnback activity for long-termfirm capacity can be expected this year and next, according to ananalysis of the pipeline transportation market issued by the EnergyInformation Administration (EIA) yesterday.

The White House has given the green-light to the renomination ofCommissioner Curt Hebert Jr. for a full five-year term at theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It’s my understanding thatthey’ve signed off on my nomination,” Hebert told NGI.SenateMajority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) sent a letter to the White Housein January seeking his renomination. The Senate EnergyCommitteeis expected to schedule a hearing after Congress returns fromrecess in mid-April, at which time it will begin to schedule ahearing.

The Gas Research Institute re-elected Robert Catell, CEO ofKeyspan, as chairman of the Institute’s board of directors. Hejoined the board in 1992. It will be Catell’s second one-year termas chairman. Stanley Horton, CEO of Enron Gas Pipeline Group, wasrenamed vice chairman.

Although gas supply and power contracts probably won’t be signeduntil next year, California’s first major merchant generation plantis expected to get its final state regulatory approval next weekand break ground this summer north of Sacramento in Sutter Countynear the agricultural town of Yuba City. A set of environmentalconcessions by the project sponsor, San Jose, CA-based CalpineCorp., pushed it into the lead spot among seven other projectsundergoing the state regulatory approval process. Projectfinancing, gas supply contracts and power supply deals will all bewrapped up in the second and third quarters of 2000, according toCalpine’s Sutter project manager, Curt Hildebrand.

The White House has given the green-light to the renomination ofCommissioner Curt Hebert Jr. for a full five-year term at theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission.

One year into electric deregulation, the benefits promisedconsumers by the California legislature have failed to materialize,making monopoly utilities the primary winners in the state’sderegulation game, according to San Francisco-based TURN, TheUtility Reform Network.

Daniel Rappaport was elected to a fourth two-year term asNymex’s chairman, making him the longest currently sitting chairmanof any futures exchange in the world, , the exchange announcedWednesday. Rappaport was first elected to the position in 1993.Before his election, he served six years as a member of Nymex’sboard of directors. Rappaport has been a member of the exchangesince 1981.

Sempra Energy Trading announced it has relocated its corporateheadquarters to Stamford, CT, from Greenwich. The energy marketersigned a 10-year-lease on a 35,000 square-foot renovated warehousein Commerce Park. The new space is nearly double the size ofSempra’s former offices and features a 15,000-square-foot tradingfloor. “It is large enough to accommodate our future growth plans,”said David Messer, president of Sempra Energy Trading. Thewarehouse space was transformed easily into a trading floor due toits high ceilings, open space and heavy power supply, he added. Therenovations included the addition of a new trading floor, offices,conference rooms, cafeteria and library. Currently, the newheadquarters houses 153 employees. Formerly known as AIG Trading,Sempra Energy Trading adopted its current name when it was jointlyacquired by Sempra Energy (formed by the merger of Enova Corp. andPacific Enterprises) in August 1997.