[IMAGE]    HOME | GAS NEWS | EVENTS | JOBS | BUSINESS CENTERS | DIRECTORIES | DATA CENTER   [IMAGE]THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2001  	


 	   [IMAGE]THIS ISSUE BROUGHT TO YOU BY       Save $100 now on "Load Management 2001 - Balancing Customers, Regulators and Energy Demand" by The C Three Group. The report reveals how programs are in a state of flux with some vendors struggling as utilities face great ambiguity. It includes candid and sometimes hard-hitting commentary on the design details of 18 leading utility programs as well as 23 vendor profiles. The report analyzes major issues, trends and technology developments. Gain insights and competitive intelligence in this essential report. Complete table of contents and profile samples are available at http://www.energycentral.com/links/show_mi.cfm?id=100837        [IMAGE]TOP STORIES     [IMAGE]U.S. spot natgas rallies on cold weather forecasts NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) U.S. spot natgas prices moved up sharply Wednesday, boosted by colder Midwest and Northeast weather forecasts for the next two weeks despite lingering concerns about high levels of gas in storage, sources said.     [IMAGE]Houston-Based Devon Energy Seeks to Pare Debt by Selling Oil, Gas Properties By Michael Davis, Houston Chronicle, Dec. 26 Devon Energy Corp. is about to complete the last of the takeovers that have made it one of the largest independent oil companies, but now it has another mountain to climb.     [IMAGE]NATURAL GAS IS PIVOTAL IN IRAN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  TEHRAN, Dec 26, 2001 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) -- Experts have always linked gas and development.      [IMAGE]Press Release      [IMAGE]EXCELERGY EXPANDS GLOBAL WORKFORCE IN PREPARATION FOR 2002 LEXINGTON, MA (December 21, 2001) Excelergy
 Corporation, which delivers high performance software products that automate mission-critical business processes in restructuring industries such as the global energy and utility industry, has added ten new colleagues to its global marketing, sales, client services, product development and business development groups. The new hires occur as Excelergy closes its most successful year ever, with aggressive sales and revenue goals set for 2002.      [IMAGE]Gas Pricing/Hubs      [IMAGE]Canada natgas follows U.S. higher in quiet trade NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) Canadian spot natural gas prices followed U.S. values higher Wednesday on below-normal temperatures and short covering amid thin trade due to the Canadian Boxing Day holiday, industry sources said.      [IMAGE]NYMEX Hub gas pares gains late, still ends up on cold NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) NYMEX Hub gas pared gains late in the session, but still ended higher Wednesday, buoyed by a firm physical market and cold Midwest and Northeast forecasts for the next two weeks despite concerns about high inventories, sources said.          ADVERTISEMENT    Gain the competitive intelligence you need to make informed business decisions. Energy Central's Operating Plant Experience Code (OPEC) is a must for all aspects of analyzing nuclear power plant performance. Identify causes of poor performance, compare lost generation trends, and set performance criteria! Free trial - visit http://www.energycentral.com/sections/databases/OPEC         [IMAGE]Futures      [IMAGE]Options Expiry Shoots January Futures to Fresh 7-Week High Dec. 26 (Btu's Daily Gas Wire) January natural gas futures settled up 1.6 cents at $2.911 as the market could not sustain prices above $3.00 for long today amid overly abundant natural gas reserves, said traders.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      [IMAGE]Pipelines      [IMAGE]SCANA Subsidiary Files for FERC Certification Of New Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline  COLUMBIA, S.C., Dec 26, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SCANA Corporation subsidiary, SCG Pipeline, Inc., has submitted its application seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certification of 18-miles of a new natural gas pipeline in Georgia and South Carolina, and the ownership of capacity in existing parallel pipelines connected to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.      [IMAGE]Asian members to sign MOU on gas grid project Dec 26, 2001 - Associated Press MEMBERS of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asian) are working on a framework for cooperation to pursue the Asian gas pipeline grid project.      [IMAGE]Rates    For more information on rate tariffs visit Gas Rate Tariffs      [IMAGE]Energy rate cuts sought; Lower gas bills on the horizon Dec 26 - Telegram & Gazette Declining gas prices have prompted three natural gas distribution companies serving Central Massachusetts to seek additional rate cuts that would pare bills $13 to $20 a month.      [IMAGE]Rigs      [IMAGE]Patterson-UTI buys 17 rigs from Cleere Drilling NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. said on Wednesday it acquired 17 land-based drilling rigs from Cleere Drilling Co., building on earlier expansion moves this year.      [IMAGE]General      [IMAGE]Energyshare Begins Accepting Applications January 2 Dec 26, 2001 - Business Wire EnergyShare, Dominion East Ohio's program to help individuals and families in need stay warm this winter, will begin accepting applications Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002.      [IMAGE]Trading/Marketing      [IMAGE]ECO-Tankship Tries to Block Enron Auction Dec 25, 2001 - United Press International Eco-Tankship Inc. is contemplating a bid to oppose the auction of Enron Corp.'s "enrononline" trading division.      [IMAGE]People      [IMAGE]Penn Virginia Corporation Announces New Board Member Dec 26, 2001 - PR Newswire Penn Virginia Corporation announced today that Edward B. Cloues, II has been elected to its Board of Directors.      [IMAGE]Labor/Human Resources      [IMAGE]Enron's Retirees Go from Riches to Rags By Bill Day, San Antonio Express-News, Dec. 23 After working 33 years for Enron, since before there even was a business called Enron, retiree Charles Prestwood is angry that his stock in the energy company is worthless.      [IMAGE]Financial      [IMAGE]INDONESIA SEES 28 PCT FALL IN OIL AND GAS SECTOR INVESTMENT  JAKARTA, Dec 26, 2001 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) -- Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has reported a 28 per cent drop in investment in the oil and gas sector in 2001.      [IMAGE]J.P.'s Enron exposure now $2.6B Dec 25 - Cincinnati Post J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. now says it has $2.6 billion in exposure stemming from the collapse of Enron Corp. - more than double what it previously disclosed - including nearly $1 billion it says it is owed by insurance companies.      [IMAGE]Financial - Ratings      [IMAGE]Moody's Downgrades Energy Ratings  Argentina, Dec 26, 2001 (BNamericas.com via COMTEX) -- Credit rating agency Moody's has downgraded certain Argentine energy companies to Caa3 from Ca, as a consequence of the similar downgrade of Argentina's sovereign rating.      [IMAGE]International      [IMAGE]PAKISTAN'S GAS SUPPLY FROM MIANO DELAYED UNTIL FEBRUARY  KARACHI, Dec 26, 2001 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) -- The gas supply from Miano to the distribution system of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been delayed for the second time as some foreign operators of the Austrian company OMV are yet to land in Pakistan.      [IMAGE]Egypt found 178 mln barrels of oil, 1.5 trln cubic meters of gas in July-Nov  CAIRO, Dec 26, 2001 (AFX-Asia via COMTEX) -- Oil companies discovered 178 mln barrels of crude oil and condensates and more than 1.5 trln cubic meters of gas in Egypt between July and November, state-owned MENA wire service reported, citing Oil Minister Sameh Fahmy.      [IMAGE]Ukraine, Russia close to agreement on gas supplies Dec 26 - BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union As much as 10 per cent of the payment for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine will be made in cash.      [IMAGE]Uzbekistan resumes gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan, but talks continue Dec 25 - BBC Monitoring Central Asia The managing director of the Kyrgyzgaz [Kyrgyz gas] joint-stock company, Avtandil Sydykov, has held talks in Tashkent to solve energy problems.      [IMAGE]China to invest over 1m dollars in Tajik oil and gas exploration Dec 26 - BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union Tajikistan and China have signed a protocol on the targeted use of funds for oil and gas prospecting and a joint memorandum on this, the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus reported on 26 December.      [IMAGE]Russian Gazprom gas company opens office in Beijing Dec 26 - BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union Russian Gazprom concern today opened its permanent office in Beijing.      [IMAGE]Enron Collapse Delays Bg Buy Dec 26, 2001 - The Independent - London THE ENERGY group BG has encountered fresh snags in its proposed purchase of the Indian oil and gas assets of the collapsed US energy trader Enron.        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!           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