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Houston-based Coral Energy launched coralconnect.com, ane-business Web site featuring e-commerce transactions, customizedcommodity price information, proprietary energy market analysis andother customer services.

Baker Energy, a unit of Michael Baker Corp., signed a majoroperation and maintenance agreement with El Paso Production Co.that covers all of El Paso’s offshore production facilities in theGulf of Mexico (GOM). El Paso Production, formerly known as SonatExploration, operates more than 50 manned and unmanned oil and gasproduction facilities throughout the GOM. The contract has anexpected annual value of $12 million.

A Georgia bankruptcy court named Shell Energy Services thewinning bidder for Peachtree Natural Gas’ customers yesterday.Shell’s bid of $19.3 million beat out the only other companyinvolved in the bidding, Georgia Natural Gas Services.

Attorney General Janet Reno and Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) Administrator Carol M. Browner have urged Capitol Hilllawmakers not to approve legislative language that would exemptcoal-fired utilities from legal action for their alleged violationsof the Clean Air Act (CAA).

Alaska’s North Slope area-wide 2000 lease sale has been put onhold due to the pending merger of BP Amoco and Atlantic RichfieldCo. (ARCO). Alaska Department of Natural Resources CommissionerJohn Shively said, “[T]here are too many uncertainties in futureleaseholdings to proceed with a sale at this time. Until theiraggregate onshore holdings have been reduced to 500,000 acres, asrequired by Alaska law, I believe it will be difficult forprospective bidders to properly evaluate oil and gas opportunitieson the lands we can offer. “Should the merger be finalized by theend of the year, BP-Amoco must make their seismic and well dataavailable for purchase by the end of March. These data shouldincrease the interest in state lease sales. We are tentativelyrescheduling the North Slope sale for late October or earlyNovember of 2000, at which time we intend to include with it thepostponed Beaufort Sea area-wide sale.” The North Slope saleincludes all available state acreage lying north of the UmiatMeridian, between the NPRA and ANWR.

Northwest Natural Gas Co. reported that the Oregon PublicUtility Commission (OPUC), in an order issued Nov. 12, authorized anet revenue increase from NW Natural’s Oregon operations of $0.2million/year. The revenue increase will come from rate increasesaveraging about 1.3% for Oregon residential customers, partiallyoffset by rate decreases for certain commercial and largeindustrial customers.

With Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.’s (BGE) deregulationsettlement in hand, parent Constellation Energy Group isanticipating the transfer of BGE non-nuclear generating plants andmaking organizational changes.

Great River Energy of Elk River, MN, and Minnesota Power Inc. ofDuluth, MN, plan to combine power supply assets and customer loadsfor power pool operations. MPEX, a division of Minnesota Power,will provide power trading, least-cost supply and risk managementservices for the combined operations. Ownership of existing assetsand customer supply arrangements will not change.

SCANA Energy and affiliate Powertel, Inc., one of the largestwireless PCS telecommunications providers in the Southeast,announced plans to jointly market their services at 30 kiosklocations in Kroger grocery stores in Greater Atlanta, Macon,Augusta and Savannah beginning today. Powertel will provide thepersonnel for the kiosks locations, which were built and installedby SCANA. Customers will soon be able to sign up for Powertel andSCANA services, make bill payments and receive information on otherservices while shopping at Kroger.