Williams said it completed the expected sale of its retail petroleum travel center operations to Pilot Travel Centers LLC for $189 million, which will be added to a growing total of proceeds from assets sales that are expected to reach $2.5 billion this year compared to $3.9 billion in 2002.

The travel center asset package includes 60 travel centers and their working inventories in 15 states. The store network stretches from Arizona to Florida and is concentrated in the Ohio Valley and the southeastern United States.

Williams’ only remaining retail petroleum presence consists of 29 convenience stores in Alaska that are being offered for sale in connection with the company’s planned divestiture of its North Pole, Alaska, refining operations.

“We’re completely focused on the tasks before us,” said CEO Steve Malcolm. “Raising cash, reducing debt, trimming costs and concentrating on our core natural gas businesses are all part of our comprehensive plan to make Williams stronger.”

About 1,500 people were employed by the TravelCenters at the time the transaction closed. The former Nashville, TN, corporate office will remain open for portions of March and April.

In addition to the travel centers sale, Williams also recently sold its ethanol business for $75 million, and has put Texas Gas Transmission on the auction block along with its stake in Williams Energy Partners and 20% of its gas reserves in its exploration and production unit (see Daily GPI, Feb. 21).

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