OpenLink Financial	


[IMAGE]	[IMAGE]	


      HOME| GAS NEWS| EVENTS| JOBS| BUSINESS CENTERS| DIRECTORIES| DATA CENTER  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2001  	


 	   THIS ISSUE BROUGHT TO YOU BY       Gain exposure to thousands of energy professionals with your company's white papers today. Energy Central, the industry's most comprehensive on-line information resource is gathering white papers for inclusion the newest section of its Research Report Center. Don't be left out - to learn how to submit your white papers, e-mail mjohnson@energycentral.com. http://www.energycentral.com/sections/research/        TOP STORIES     Atlanta Governor Vows Speed in Forming Panel on Gas Deregulation By Matthew C. Quinn, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Oct. 23 Gov. Roy Barnes said he wants to "move pretty quickly" in forming a consumer protection task force on the state's troubled natural gas deregulation.     FERC Moves to Create More Flexibility for Firm Capacity Holders in Structuring Capacity Release Transactions Oct. 24 (Btu Watch) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, proposed to amend its open access regulations to require that interstate pipelines permit releasing shippers to recall released capacity and re-nominate that recalled capacity at any of the scheduling opportunities provided by interstate pipelines according to the notice and bumping provisions applicable to interruptible shippers.  Special Offer from this Publisher!    Massachusetts Officials Disagree over Allowing Gas Tankers in Boston Harbor By Ralph Ranalli, The Boston Globe, Oct. 23 Acting Governor Jane M. Swift and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino still disagree about the safety of allowing liquified natural gas tankers to pass through Boston Harbor, but after a 45-minute meeting yesterday, both reportedly agreed to discuss the issue again.     Press Release     LODESTAR CORPORATION OPENS LONDON SUBSIDIARY AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION PEABODY, MA - October 24, 2001 - LODESTAR Corporation took a major step in its global expansion today with the opening of its first international subsidiary - LODESTAR Solutions Limited -- in London, England. LODESTAR is a leading provider of software solutions to the energy industry.     Caminus Corporation to Report Third Quarter Results on October 30, 2001 New York, NY - October 23, 2001 -- Caminus Corporation, a leading provider of software solutions and strategic consulting services to participants in the competitive energy markets throughout North America and Europe, will be announcing its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2001 after market close on Tuesday, October 30, 2001.      National Energy Policy     Oklahoma Oil, Gas Producers Say Energy Policy Need Is Urgent By Russell Ray, Tulsa World, Okla., Oct. 23 The United States is too reliant on foreign oil, Oklahoma's independent oil and gas producers say.          ADVERTISEMENT    Representatives from the Bush Administration, Congress, FERC, NRC, and state PUCs will come to Wall Street at the Energy Investor Policy and Regulation Conference, December 3-4, 2001, New York City, to outline the future direction of energy policy and regulation. Details for this important event available at http://www.infocastinc.com/energyinvestor.htm         Competition & Deregulation    For reports and related information on this topic visit our Data Center [IMAGE]    Slow European gas liberalisation irks consumers By Stuart Penson (Reuters) LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) The European Union started liberalising its natural gas market over a year ago but disenchanted energy consumers say they are still waiting to reap the benefits.     LA Tribune: French Companies Excluded from Opening Up of Spanish Gas Market Oct 23, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Six companies out of 14 candidates have been selected by the Spanish authorities to participate in the deregulation of the gas sector.      Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures     Takeover target Westcoast sells retail assets CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Westcoast Energy Inc. said on Monday it sold C$385 million ($244 million) of energy retail and services assets to two Canadian buyers as it moved closer to being taken over by Duke Energy Corp.      Gas Pricing/Hubs     Canada natgas rises on U.S. strength, weather CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 23 (Reuters) Spot gas prices in Canada gained on Tuesday because of cool weather in Alberta, higher physicals in the United States and early strength in New York, industry sources said.     NYMEX Hub gas ends down after early rally stalls NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) NYMEX Hub gas, lifted early by a firm cash and forecasts for cooler weather later this week, ended lower Tuesday, pressured by some profit taking when a morning rally attempt stalled at resistance, sources said.      Drilling/Exploration     City Seeks Input on Oil And Gas Drilling Ordinance Oct 23, 2001 - The Fort Worth Star-Telegram To better regulate a booming industry, city officials will host a round-table discussion Monday on oil and gas drilling.     Saskatchewan Government: Record for Natural Gas Drilling Oct 23, 2001 - M2 Communications Saskatchewan has already broken the all-time record number of natural gas wells drilled in a year, surpassing last year's record of 1,203.      Futures     Nov Futures Slumps on Profit-taking after Hitting 8-Wk High Oct. 23 (Btu's Daily Gas Wire) November natural gas futures settled down 12.6 cents at $2.681 as early buying gave way to selling as those who had recently acquired length in the nearby month chose to shorten those positions and take profits.  Special Offer from this Publisher!     Pipelines     Gas Pipeline Remains Volatile Issue for Some Sherwood, Ore., Residents By Emily Tsao, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore., Oct. 22 NW Natural's proposal to build a 62-mile natural gas pipeline through three counties has cleared another hurdle, and some residents are working to alter the pipeline's path.     Philippines to pick gas line contractor by year end BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Oct 22 (Reuters) The Philippines will choose by year end the builder of a natural gas pipeline linking Manila and Batangas to the south, where a $4.5 billion gas project recently came on line, the country's energy minister said on Monday.     Khristenko Discusses North European Pipeline in Finland Oct 23, 2001 - Itar-Tass News Agency A special group made up of Russian, German and Finnish specialists will draw up a detailed plan within three or four months, which will outline ways of building a North European gas pipeline, which will go across the territory of Finland, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko said on Monday at a press conference on the results of his talks with Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen.      Rigs     Drilling Activity Decreases in Western Canada Oct 23, 2001 - Resource News International The number of Canadian oil and gas rigs active as of Tuesday, October 23 totaled 330, down from the previous week's 349, according to the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC).      General     Limits sought on rules for power shutoffs Oct 23 - Providence Journal As cold weather sets in, an estimated 7,200 families in Rhode Island are without heat because their gas or electricity has been cut off for nonpayment of bills.     Davis Floats Plan To Spend Coastal Grants Oct 23, 2001 - E?Publishing California Gov. Gray Davis (D) released a plan Friday to spend $15.5 million in federal funds on management of the state's coastal resources, including more than $3 million to protect and restore wetlands.      Joint Ventures & Alliances     Iberdrola And Endesa Sign An Agreement Protocol for the Joint Construction of A Regasification Plant in Castellon Oct 23, 2001 - Business Wire Iberdrola and Endesa signed yesterday an agreement protocol so that Endesa will become partner in the development and construction of the regasification plant in Castellon.      Deals/Contracts     Nippon M'bishi buys gas stake in Gulf of Mexico TOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) Japan's largest oil refiner Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corp said on Tuesday it had purchased a stake in the Aconcagua Gas Field in the Gulf of Mexico.      People     ENERGY WEST Announces Edward Bernica as President and CEO  GREAT FALLS, Mont., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ ENERGY WEST Incorporated, a gas utility and energy sales company headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, has announced that Edward J. Bernica has been named President and Chief Executive Office of the company, as of October 1, 2001, following the retirement of Larry Geske.      Financial     Enron seeks to soothe investors after stock slump By Carolyn Koo (Reuters) NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) Enron Corp. sought to assuage investor concerns on Tuesday after U.S. regulators said they were looking into transactions involving the company's chief financial officer and its stock shed more than $10 billion in value over the past week.     SEC Requests Enron to Provide Information on Investment Partnerships By Laura Goldberg, Houston Chronicle, Oct. 23 Shares in Enron Corp. fell almost 21 percent Monday after the company disclosed federal securities regulators asked for details on investment partnerships formerly run by its chief financial officer.      Financial - Results     Houston-Based Conoco Reports $193 Million in Third-Quarter Net Income By Michael Davis, Houston Chronicle, Oct. 23 Conoco blamed its lower third-quarter earnings on weaker oil and gas prices Monday, but the Houston company still soundly beat out Wall Street's lowered expectations and announced a major oil discovery in Vietnam.     Pioneer Natural net drops on lower energy prices DALLAS, Oct 23 (Reuters) Pioneer Natural Resources, an oil and natural gas exploration company, on Tuesday said third-quarter net income dropped nearly two-thirds to $24.6 million on lower oil and gas prices.     RGS Energy profits fall, sees future drop NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) RGS Energy Group Inc. on Tuesday reported falling quarterly profits and said future earnings would also be below last year's levels as the weakening economy cuts into sales to industrial customers.     CONSOL Q1 net loss on high costs, sees growth NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) U.S. coal mining and natural gas company CONSOL Energy Inc. on Tuesday reported a first-quarter net loss, reversing a year-ago profit, due to a combination of high coal mining costs and low gas prices.     PS Enterprise profits rise 21 percent NEWARK, N.J., Oct 23 (Reuters) - Public Service Enterprise Group, owner of New Jersey's largest gas and electric utility, on Tuesday reported a 21 percent rise in third-quarter earnings, but the results were near the low end of Wall Street expectations.     Petro-Canada profit falls on lower oil, gas prices CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Petro-Canada said on Tuesday its third-quarter profit fell 35 percent, a deeper than expected drop that the country's No. 3 oil producer, refiner and gasoline retailer blamed on lower oil and gas prices.     Burlington Resources Reports Net Income Drops to $73 Million for Third Quarter Oct 22 - Houston Chronicle Houston natural gas producer Burlington Resources Inc. said today its third-quarter earnings plummeted, reflecting a steep decline in the price of its main product.      International     Nigeria looks to gas age as oil glitter wears off By John Chiahemen (Reuters) LAGOS, Oct 23 (Reuters) Still reeling from the gloom that followed its short-lived 1970s oil boom, Nigeria is turning to its vast gas reserves as the money spinner of the future.     CNOOC to Invest in Fujian Gas Market Development  BEIJING, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ CNOOC Limited announced today that CNOOC, its parent, has signed an agreement with Fujian provincial government on natural gas market development in Fujian.     "Gazprom" Will Put Into Operation Its Largest Post-Soviet Era Project for Production of Gas Oct 22, 2001 - A & G Information Service The official ceremony for the opening of the Zapolyarny gas field, with reserves of 3,3 trillion cubic meters of gas, is planned for October 24.     Iberdrola And BP Carry Off Lion's Share of Algerian Gas Contract Oct 23, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex There were few suprises yesterday in the Spanish government's award of a 25 per cent share of the Algerian gas contract to Spain's four electricity companies Endesa, Iberdrola, Union Fenosa and Hidrocantabrico and to foreign oil groups Shell and BP.     Bernabe Says Ok to Enel's Diversification Into Gas Sector Oct 23, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Franco Bernabe, former chairman of Italian oil group ENI, has said that he is in favour of the diversification of Italian electricity group Enel into the gas sector following its recent acquisition of a majority stake in Camuzzi, the Italian gas distribution company.     Pipeline to Deliver Gas to Turkey Oct 22 - Associated Press Turkey expects to start receiving natural gas through a new pipeline from Iran by mid-December, officials said Monday.     First Iranian gas to reach Turkey in December 2001 - officials Oct 22 - BBC Monitoring European Iran is expected to start pumping natural gas to Turkey in December of 2001.     ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN Decline in gas use expected, NATION Oct 22 - WorldSources Online Thailand's natural-gas consumption next year is expected to drop from a previous forecast, in line with revisions for lower-than-expected economic growth next year, industry sources say.     Unocal of USA to submit proposal to Bangladesh on gas export to India Oct 23 - BBC Monitoring South Asia - Economic US oil major Unocal is expected to formally submit a proposal to the Bangladesh government soon for construction of a 900m dollar pipeline to export natural gas to India.     Turkmen president proposes Afghanistan gas project to United Nations Oct 23, 2001 - Associated Press Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov offered the United Nations to consider the possibility of implementing a gas pipeline project through Afghanistan to Pakistan, a newspaper reported Tuesday.        If you are an Energy Central News Subscriber and you have checked any news articles above, selecting the 'Get Articles' button below will deliver all of the checked articles in one page. This is a convenient way to get exactly the news you need - quickly!           NEED INFORMATION ON THE POWER INDUSTRY? ENERGY CENTRAL'S GOT IT!    ENERGY CENTRAL DAILY ELECTRIC POWER NEWS An e-mail news service that delivers every major story every day directly to your e-mail address. Inquire for corporate and group discount rates. sales@energycentral.com  JOB CENTER The Job Center provides instant access to the best employment opportunities and prospective employees in the energy industry through comprehensive job listings and active resume database.  JOB WATCH A free weekly e-mail service that broadcasts new job listings in the Job Center directly to your inbox!  CONFERENCE WATCH The Conference Watch is a weekly e-mail service and online database that lists upcoming industry conferences, seminars, and trade shows. The service is free to all energy professionals.  DATA CENTER Energy Central partners with the best research, publishing, and consulting firms to create useful online database applications. Visit the Data Center to gain immediate access to online databases and instant reports.   DIRECTIONS AND INFORMATION   ABOUT ENERGY CENTRAL'S GAS NEWS SERVICE This news summary service is provided FREE to qualified professionals in the power industry. This news summary may be redistributed provided it is kept in its entirety.   * Visit Member Servicesto START, STOP, or CHANGE FORMAT for all of your e-mail subscriptions.  * To BEGIN receiving this summary directly, send a message with a subject of 'signup' to gasservice@energycentral.com.   * To STOP receiving this service, send a message to gasservice@energycentral.comor call Member Services at 303-782-5510.   SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION The full text of articles referenced in this summary is available to Energy Central Gas News Subscribers and Members. An individual annual subscription costs US$15.95 per month. To sign up for an individual subscription, or for information about corporate discounts, call CyberTech at 800-459-2233, 303-782-5510, or send an e-mail message to sales@energycentral.com.   PRESS RELEASES Submit press releases and other news to pr@energycentral.com  SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING For sponsorship or advertising info call sales at 303-782-5510   TO DELIVER YOUR ARTICLES, PAPERS, PROCEEDINGS OR MONOGRAPHS THROUGH ENERGY CENTRAL: Energy Central provides a variety of mechanisms for delivery of information to power professionals including this news product, Energy Central Web Site (http://www.energycentral.com), Energy Central Conference Watch(tm), and others. We can deliver your information on a promotional, subscription or a pay-per-view basis. For more information, contact Steve Drazga at 303-782-5510 sdrazga@energycentral.com)    	 	      SUBSCRIBE     Full text access to daily news articles is limited to Energy Central Gas News Subscribers.            CORPORATE SPONSORS  [IMAGE]  Click on each logo to visit sponsor.  [IMAGE]    Allegro Development [IMAGE] Itron [IMAGE]       NEWS SECTIONS       Top Stories     Press Release     National Energy Policy     Competition & Deregulation     Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures     Gas Pricing/Hubs     Drilling/Exploration     Futures     Pipelines     Rigs     General     Joint Ventures & Alliances     Deals/Contracts     People     Financial     Financial - Results     International         ADVERTISEMENT  Williams Energy          NEWS SEARCH     Find Energy Central Gas News stories up to 30 days old.            ENERGY CENTRAL     Home News Centers     Energy Central Direct New!     Power News     Gas News Events Center Job Center Data Center Business Centers On-line Publications New! Research Report Center New! Directories     Associations     State PUCs     Trade Publications Industry     Glossary     Links Member Services About Energy Central     Our Products     Content Syndication New!     [IMAGE] 	

[IMAGE]
      HOME| GAS NEWS| EVENTS| JOBS| BUSINESS CENTERS| DIRECTORIES| DATA CENTER  	


 	  Copyright ? CyberTech, Inc.2001. All rights reserved.  Energy Central(r) is a registered trademark of CyberTech, Incorporated.  CyberTech does not warrant that the information or services of Energy Central will meet any specific requirements; nor will it be error free or uninterrupted; nor shall CyberTech be liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential damages (including lost data, information or profits) sustained or incurred in connection with the use of, operation of, or inability to use Energy Central. Contact: 303-782-5510 or service@energycentral.com.