Natural Gas Week articles from March 2007

Natural Gas Week archives from March 2007

Natural gas weekly spot prices.
March 5, 2007... NATURAL GAS WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 2/27-3/5 Avg. Avg. Mar. Price Daily Daily Bid Point $/MMBtu Chg....

Western officials argue feds should butt out of land issues.
March 5, 2007... The House Committee on Natural Resources' hearing last week was originally focused on how oil and gas development has reshaped the West, with a spotlight on the "positive" impacts that development has had. In the end, it practically became a...

Natural gas supply-demand data foreshadow bullish summer ahead.
March 5, 2007... An eye-opening increase of base demand for natural gas, not to mention supply tightening record draws of gas storage in February, suggests that bullish concerns could dominate the market going into the spring and summer. "With winter in...

April gas futures slated lower; Shoulder-month fundamentals hit.
March 5, 2007... Bearish weather and technical indicators set the tone for Nymex April gas futures contract last week, as prices slid steadily every day without a single rebound. For this week, indicators suggest a continuation of this trend is likely, and...

Alaska offering $500 million carrot to kickstart gas pipeline.
March 5, 2007... Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unveiled legislation Friday designed to spur construction of a long-awaited natural gas pipeline. The bill, the Alaska Gas Line Inducement Act, sets out criteria energy companies must meet in exchange for incentives...

Talks stalled.(Late news)
March 5, 2007... Talks stalled: An attempt to settle a royalty dispute between Anadarko Petroleum and the federal Minerals Management Service has broken down. Officials with Anadarko said the company will continue with its lawsuit against the MMS, and are...

Approval granted.(Late news)
March 5, 2007... Approval granted: State officials in three states have approved Houston-based Kinder Morgan's proposed acquisition by investors including Chairman and Chief Executive Richard D. Kinder, other senior members of KMI management, co-founder Bill...

NOAA spies developing La Nina; Could spell active storm season.
March 5, 2007... A cooling trend over the mid-Pacific could spell the start of La Nina--a weather pattern that could have serious consequences for the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the US. Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last...

Intrastate weekly spot prices.
March 5, 2007... INTRASTATE WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 2/27-3/5 Avg. Avg. Mar. Price Daily Daily Bid Point $/MMBtu Chg. High...

Prices and differentials for major hubs and selected city gates.
March 5, 2007... PRICES AND DIFFERENTIALS FOR MAJOR HUBS AND SELECTED CITY GATES March 5, 2007 US$/MMBtu, Volume-Weighted [GRAPHIC OMITTED] SELECTED DAILY DIFFERENTIALS Differential 2/26 2/27 2/28 3/1 3/2 HH-NY ...

Report: LNG's share of market set to explode by end of decade.
March 5, 2007... Liquefied natural gas has been touted as the answer to a US natural gas shortfall for decades, but only in the past few years have meaningful volumes arrived outside of the Suez import facility at Everett, Massachusetts. That is about to...

Composite spot wellhead price.
March 5, 2007... COMPOSITE SPOT WELLHEAD PRICE January 2003 to Present ($/MMBtu) Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. 2007 6.25 7.79 2006 8.20 7.30 6.47 6.61 5.93 6.04 5.93 7.11 4.60 5.47 6.78...

Composite spot delivered-to-pipeline price.
March 5, 2007... COMPOSITE SPOT DELIVERED-TO-PIPELINE PRICE January 2003 to Present ($/MMBtu) Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. 2007 6.68 8.44 2006 8.28 7.55 6.69 6.77 5.99 6.14 6.15 7.28 4.91...

KMP jumps into growing biofuel industry with $100 m investment.
March 5, 2007... Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) has jumped into the growing biodiesel market with a $100 million-plan it raised the curtain on last week to expand terminal facilities in Houston, New Orleans and New York for this growing industry. ...

Natural gas futures.
March 5, 2007... NATURAL GAS FUTURES Trading Dates: February 26-March 2, 2007 NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE (NYMEX) (HENRY HUB) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Last Volume Last Volume...

Kinder: providing market options secret of Kinder Morgan success.
March 5, 2007... When former Enron executives Richard Kinder and Bill Morgan invested $40 million to buy the general partnership interest in a collection of Enron's discarded assets in 1997, the mix consisted mainly of natural gas liquids pipelines and coal...

From silver to gas, Leor finds riches in unconventional fields.
March 5, 2007... Founded in 2003, Houston-based Leor Energy is an independent energy company that can trace its roots to a company that mined for silver in Latin America. Tom Kaplan founded Apex Silver Mines about 10 years ago after deciding the time was...

North American weekly gas storage.
March 5, 2007... NORTH AMERICAN WEEKLY GAS STORAGE (Billion Cubic Feet) Feb. 23 Feb. 16 Weekly Year Yr. Ago 5-year 5-year Region Week Week Change Ago Change Average Change US East 898 ...

Natural gas bidweek prices.
March 5, 2007... NATURAL GAS BIDWEEK PRICES Flow Dates: 3/1-3/31 March Chg. Prev. Price Avg. from Bid- Point $/MMBtu Prev. High...

Citygate prices.
March 5, 2007... CITYGATE PRICES March Chg. Prev. Price Avg. from Bid- Point $/MMBtu Prev. High Low Vol. Deals Week Austin, Tx. ...

NGW's monthly weighted averages.
March 5, 2007... NGW'S MONTHLY WEIGHTED AVERAGES $/MMBtu Price Point Feb-07 Jan-07 Dec-06 Nov-06 Oct-06 Sep-06 Gulf Coast ANR SE 7.92 6.22 6.53 7.32 6.19 4.65 Col. Gulf--Erath 8.16 6.37 ...

Power gurus ponder fate of Texas generation.(CURRENT)
March 5, 2007... Controversy swirls in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot) around the recent announcement that a private equity fund's plan to buy out Dallas-based mega-utility TXU hinges upon the condition that the utility scrap plans to build...

PUD awarded tidal power study permits.(CURRENT)
March 5, 2007... The Washington public utility district that gave the world the "Grandma Millie" tapes in the aftermath of the California energy crisis is making waves again--this time, with a proposed tidal power project. The Federal Energy Regulatory...

California lawmaker introduces bill lifting ban on new nukes.(CURRENT)
March 5, 2007... A California state legislator has introduced a bill that challenges the state's ban on new nuclear power plants. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), said the state needs the plants if it wishes to cut greenhouse gases and keep electricity...

Spot electricity trading.
March 5, 2007... SPOT ELECTRICITY TRADING Trading Dates: February 26-March 2, 2007 NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE (NYMEX) (HENRY HUB) Avg. Price Avg. Price This Last Year Month POINT ...

Comparative fuel prices.
March 5, 2007... COMPARATIVE FUEL PRICES (Cash Market) January 5, 2007 APPALACHIA Appalachian Pool Ohio/Big Sandy River Coal Dlvd (Util) $40.50/ton $7.70/MMBtu $1.69/MMBtu EAST COAST...

LNG foes mount last-ditch effort to block Massachusetts terminals.(Regional Market Roundup)
March 5, 2007... Opponents of LNG projects near Boston, Massachusetts, have succeeded in convincing the state Environmental Protection Agency to hold another public hearing to voice their concerns about the hazards of LNG. The hearing, set for Mar. 29, is...

Baker hughes rig count.
March 5, 2007... BAKER HUGHES RIG COUNT Week Ended Mar. 2 Rotary Rigs Current Previous Year Week Week Ago Total US 1,752 1,754 1,531 Land ...

Gas price trends.
March 5, 2007... GAS PRICE TRENDS ($/MMBtu) TEXAS CALIFORNIA ROCKY NEW Gulf Coast Gulf Coast South North MTNS MEXICO Offshore Onshore Mar...

New Brunswick to FERC: scuttle LNG terminals planned in Maine.(Canadian Markets)
March 5, 2007... A cross-border dispute over two LNG projects that would be built in Maine got a little hotter this past week as the government of New Brunswick submitted a motion to US officials asking them to scrap reviews of the proposed plants. Premier...

Bolivian Congress stalling in ratifying natural gas contracts.(World Roundup)
March 5, 2007... The 44 natural gas contracts that the government of Bolivia signed with private companies last October have not yet been ratified by Congress due to political bickering and flaws in the texts of the new agreements. President Evo Morales...

Canadian price report.
March 5, 2007... CANADIAN PRICE REPORT ($U.S. per MMBtu/$Can per Gigajoule) BRITISH COLUMBIA Huntingdon/ Kingsgate/ Total Sumas Eastport ...

Global warming mania snowballs, and that's very bullish for NatGas.
March 5, 2007... Whether or not you agree with the theory, the global-warming juggernaut just picked up speed with a new Democratic Congress, which gives producers even more reason to be bullish on natural gas. It's hard to overstate just how much natural...

Gas price report.
March 5, 2007... GAS PRICE REPORT ($/MMBtu--Spot) March 5, 2007 Interstate Intrastate Delivered Delivered Wellhead Wellhead To Pipeline To Utility Bid ...

Natural gas weekly spot prices.
March 12, 2007... NATURAL GAS WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 3/6-3/12 Avg. Avg. Mar. Price Daily Daily Bid Point $/MMBtu...

LNG opposition better organized; now playing the states rights card.
March 12, 2007... The fight over LNG terminals has taken a very subtle shift from public hearings where security and safety were the main topics to more complex issues involving states rights versus federal authority. And, according to a member of an...

Beaufort sea development draws fire from natives, green groups.
March 12, 2007... The threat to polar bears, along with the plight of walrus and other species, not to mention the growing concern over global warming, is snowballing resistance to opening the Beaufort Sea to oil and gas development, and prompting calls for the...

Fundamentals may throw punches even as shoulder months emerge.
March 12, 2007... As old man winter throws in the towel and more spring-like weather conditions begin to emerge, the natural gas industry is headed into the mundane weeks of the shoulder months. However, traders shouldn't get too sleepy as some punches could...

FERC: Canadian protests won't cancel Maine LNG applications.
March 12, 2007... An attempt by the Canadian and New Brunswick governments to stop two US LNG projects being built in Maine has been brushed aside, for the time being, by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher said his staff...

Pipeline scrapped.(Late news)
March 12, 2007... Pipeline scrapped: CenterPoint Energy and Spectra Energy are shelving plans for the Mid-Continent Crossing Project, a natural gas pipeline through northwest Mississippi because the project is not economical and has generated widespread...

Field bought.(Late news)
March 12, 2007... Field bought: In a move valued at $190 million, Callon Petroleum will buy out its partner BP's 80% interest in the Entrada field. The deepwater Gulf of Mexico play includes federal leases at Garden Banks blocks 738,782, 785, 826 and 827, with...

California LNG.(Late news)
March 12, 2007... California LNG: San Antonio-based Esperanza Energy has entered the race to build an LNG terminal off the coast of California. The company proposes to build two receiving platforms about 10 miles off the coast of Huntington, California, or about...

CBM properties bought.(Late news)
March 12, 2007... CBM properties bought: Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Partners will spend about $115 million to buy coalbed methane properties from EnergyQuest Resources. The properties in play are located in the Cherokee Basin in Kansas and Oklahoma....

Depleted Pennsylvania gas field to become regional storage site.
March 12, 2007... A depleted natural gas field in rural Pennsylvania is getting a new lease on life under a plan unveiled last week by Spectra Energy and New Jersey Resources. The two companies have formed a partnership to develop a 10 billion cubic foot...

Unless price right, Canada could be net NatGas importer by 2025.
March 12, 2007... Canada could become a net energy importer in the 2020-25 period absent significantly higher prices for oil and gas that would stimulate continued development of the petroleum sector, concludes a preliminary report from the Canadian National...

Intrastate weekly spot prices.
March 12, 2007... INTRASTATE WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 3/6-3/12 Avg. Avg. Mar. Price Daily Daily Bid Point $/MMBtu Chg. High Low...

Hofmeister: informed US public essential for rocky road ahead.
March 12, 2007... For the energy industry "the last 50 years are going to be easy compared to the next 50 years." Shell President John Hofmeister might have been accused of preaching to the choir last week when he spoke to about 300 business leaders at...

Prices and differentials for major hubs and selected city gates.
March 12, 2007... PRICES AND DIFFERENTIALS FOR MAJOR HUBS AND SELECTED CITY GATES March 12, 2007 US$/MMBtu, Volume-Weighted [GRAPHIC OMITTED] SELECTED DAILY DIFFERENTIALS Differential 3/5 3/6 3/7 3/8 3/9 HH-NY ...

Conoco's Mulva says supermajor eskewing GTL for gasification.
March 12, 2007... ConocoPhillips has dropped plans to develop natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) projects in favor of "fossil-fuel" gasification, Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Mulva said last week. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a conference at the...

North American weekly gas storage.
March 12, 2007... NORTH AMERICAN WEEKLY GAS STORAGE (Billion Cubic Feet) Mar. 2 Feb. 23 Weekly Year Yr. Ago 5-year 5-year Region Week Week Change Ago Change Average Change US East 820 ...

BLM publishes final update of federal oil and gas regulations.
March 12, 2007... The federal Bureau of Land Management published the finalized version of its set of regulations known as Onshore Oil and Gas Order Number 1. These regulations establish the requirements companies must meet to obtain approval for oil and gas...

Reservior concern, domestic need help nix Qatar Palm GTL project.
March 12, 2007... Soaring construction costs may not be the only reason Exxon Mobil and state Qatar Petroleum (QP) elected to shelve their Palm gas-to-liquids (GTL) project, Natural Gas Week has learned. Instead, Qatar's own rapidly rising internal gas demand...

Natural gas futures.
March 12, 2007... NATURAL GAS FUTURES Trading Dates: March 5-March 9, 2007 NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE (NYMEX) (HENRY HUB) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Last Volume Last Volume Last...

Pipeline capacity utilization.
March 12, 2007... PIPELINE CAPACITY UTILIZATION March (2007) March (2006) Location FlowDate Flow Month-to-Date Month-to-Date Transco Zone 6 NY 3/5/2007 1,912,515 1,756,169 1,604,743...

Coal generation projects 'headed off a cliff'.(CURRENT)
March 12, 2007... In the void left by the eight proposed coal-fired plants--nearly 7,000 megawatts of generation capacity--that will be scrubbed if the TXU buyout goes through, Texas has one surefire backup plan: Build natural gas-fueled plants like crazy. ...

First biodiesel power plant goes online.(CURRENT)
March 12, 2007... Located north of Houston, the first commercial power plant fueled entirely by biodiesel has gone online and is now producing and selling electricity into the Ercot power grid. The project developers see this is as the first of a string of...

Galveston poised to win race for first US offshore wind farm.(CURRENT)
March 12, 2007... The race is on to build the first offshore wind farm in the country, and with the NIMBY hurdles faced by Cape Wind off Cape Cod in Nantucket Sound, it looks like a project off Galveston Island on the Texas Golf Coast may earn that distinction....

Spot electricity trading.(CURRENT)
March 12, 2007... SPOT ELECTRICITY TRADING Trading Dates: March 5-March 9, 2007 NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE (NYMEX) (HENRY HUB) Avg. Price Avg. Price Year Month POINT This Week Last Week Change Ago Ago...

Comparative fuel prices.(CURRENT)
March 12, 2007... COMPARATIVE FUEL PRICES (Cash Market) November 12, 2007 APPALACHIA Appalachian Pool Ohio/Big Sandy River Coal Dlvd (Util) $41.00/ton $8.17/MMBtu $1.71/MMBtu EAST...

Independence Hub set into place; could raise Gulf gas production.(Regional Market Roundup)
March 12, 2007... The Independence Hub production platform has been installed at its deepwater site in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico's Mississippi Canyon, according to Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners. Enterprise owns an 80% interest in the...

Baker Hughes rig count.(Regional Market Roundup)
March 12, 2007... BAKER HUGHES RIG COUNT Week Ended Mar. 9 Rotary Rigs Current Previous Year Week Week Ago Total US 1,757 1,752 1,532 Land ...

Gas price trends.(Regional Market Roundup)
March 12, 2007... GAS PRICE TRENDS ($/MMBtu) TEXAS CALIFORNIA ROCKY NEW Gulf Coast Gulf Coast South North MTNS MEXICO Offshore Onshore ...

EnCana taking Deep Panuke off shelf; subsea pipeline still an issue.(Canadian Markets)
March 12, 2007... The National Energy Board and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board have launched two weeks of hearings with EnCana's Deep Panuke natural gas project taking center stage. The company mothballed the project four years ago and is now...

Russians, Iranians among members expected to attend GECF meeting.(World Roundup)
March 12, 2007... At least five major gas producers, plus host nation Qatar, are likely to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha next month. The upcoming GECF meeting comes amid recurring speculation that some of the world's biggest gas...

Canadian price report.(World Roundup)
March 12, 2007... CANADIAN PRICE REPORT ($U.S. per MMBtu/$Can per Gigajoule) BRITISH COLUMBIA Huntingdon/ Kingsgate/ Total Sumas Eastport ...

Industry survey portends higher '07 gas prices, less production.
March 12, 2007... Judging from this year's Grant Thornton energy survey, the price of natural gas will rise later this year one way or another. The survey of senior executives from more than 80 US upstream companies makes it clear that producers are anxious...

Gas price report.
March 12, 2007... GAS PRICE REPORT ($/MMBtu--Spot) March 12, 2007 Interstate Intrastate Delivered Delivered Wellhead Wellhead To Pipeline To Utility Bid ...

Natural gas weekly spot prices.
March 19, 2007... NATURAL GAS WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 3/13-3/19 Avg. Avg. Mar. $/ Daily Daily Bid Price Point MMBtu Chg....

Northeast capacity expansion could bring calmer cash market.
March 19, 2007... The Northeast is winding down yet another roller-coaster winter for cash prices, as regional capacity constraints in the New York and New England areas met intense winter demand. However, with new pipeline infrastructure and capacity on the...

TransCanada: learning to adapt in a constantly changing world.
March 19, 2007... Anyone trying to define TransCanada PipeLines' (TCPL) scope of operations solely by its name would miss major segments of its business. True, it does operate the only natural gas pipeline across much of the breadth of Canada, but a big chunk of...

Nymex April gas runs in place as spring fever hits markets.
March 19, 2007... Spring fever was apparently hitting the natural gas futures market, as volumes eroded and trading ranges narrowed considerably near the end of last week. For the near term, much of the same sort of activity can be anticipated and prices are...

GAO: more research needed on LNG safety, security issues.
March 19, 2007... Liquefied natural gas imports are expected to increase 400% over the next 10 years. Industry has responded by submitting 32 applications to build new terminals in 10 states and five offshore areas. But despite 40,000 shipments since 1959...

Funding cleared.(Late news)
March 19, 2007... Funding cleared: The Associated Press reported late last week that Alaska's state Senate passed a $35 million supplemental funding request in a move that some analysts called supportive of Gov. Sarah Palin's plans to move forward with a natural...

Acquisition challenged.(Late news)
March 19, 2007... Acquisition challenged: Late Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission came out against Equitable Resources' proposed acquisition of Dominion Peoples. The FTC filed a lawsuit challenging the plan, saying the merger would cut competition and result...

Interest bought.(Late news)
March 19, 2007... Interest bought: AIG Financial Products, a member company of American International Group, has signed an agreement to purchase a 50% partnership interest in Tenaska Energy's natural gas marketing companies Tenaska Marketing Ventures, Tenaska...

Project gets OK.(Late news)
March 19, 2007... Project gets OK: The provincial government of Nova Scotia has given Rotterdam-based 4Gas the OK for its MapleLNG project--a proposed LNG receiving and regasification facility that will be located in Goldboro, Nova Scotia. The facility will be...

Energy industry does turn around on climate change.
March 19, 2007... The energy industry is changing its tune on climate change. After years of denying the link between greenhouse gas emissions and changes in the climate, a growing number in the energy industry now say they support efforts to curb emissions. ...

Intrastate weekly spot prices.
March 19, 2007... INTRASTATE WEEKLY SPOT PRICES Flow Dates: 3/13-3/19 Avg. Avg. Mar. Daily Daily Bid Price Point $/MMBtu Chg. High Low...

Senators pushing bill to open Gulf of Mexico to new drilling.
March 19, 2007... Senators Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) last week introduced a bipartisan plan to cut the nation's dependence on foreign oil by 50% by 2030. The legislation combines a number of proposals from both sides of the...

Prices and differentials for major hubs and selected city gates.
March 19, 2007... PRICES AND DIFFERENTIALS FOR MAJOR HUBS AND SELECTED CITY GATES March 19, 2007 US$/MMBtu, Volume-Weighted [GRAPHIC OMITTED] SELECTED DAILY DIFFERENTIALS Differential 3/12 3/13 3/14 3/15 3/16 HH-NY ...

Coal ash resurfaces as concern as more coal-fired plants eyed.
March 19, 2007... With over 150 new coal-fired power plants in the US planned by 2030, long-standing health and environmental battles over the use of coal have returned to the spotlight. It has been recognized that coal ash and coal combustion waste can cause...

North American weekly gas storage.
March 19, 2007... NORTH AMERICAN WEEKLY GAS STORAGE (Billion Cubic Feet) Mar. 9 Mar. 2 Weekly Year Yr. Ago 5-year 5-year Region Week Week Change Ago Change Average Change US East 728 ...

Natural gas futures.
March 19, 2007... NATURAL GAS FUTURES Trading Dates: March 12--March 16, 2007 NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE (NYMEX) (HENRY HUB) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Last Volume Last Volume Last Volume...

FERC gives green light to Maritimes pipeline project.(Atlantic Basin LNG Update)
March 19, 2007... The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given a green light to Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (Maritimes) to expand its capacity to accept natural gas from the Canaport LNG terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick. FERC's authorization...