PERSONNEL MOVES AND PROMOTIONS: Regulated US natural gas sector sees flurry of leadership changes

A flurry of changes within the regulated side of the US natural gas industry dominates this week's personnel news, as three big local distribution companies get new leadership.

Meanwhile, a new board has emerged at the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), the entity that resulted from the merger of the Institute of Gas Technology and Gas Research Institute.

Virginia Natural Gas

Henry P. ("Hank") Linginfelter, vice-president of regulatory affairs for Atlanta Gas Light Co. (AGL), has been named president of Virginia Natural Gas Inc. (VNG), upon the closing of AGL Resources Inc.'s acquisition of VNG. The transaction is expected to close later this year.

The selection of Linginfelter marks another milestone in AGL's acquisition of the Virginia utility. AGL Resources' acquisition of VNG from Dominion Resources received final approval by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (VSCC) on July 28, less than 3 months after it was announced. The acquisition is pending approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission, approval of Dominion's disposition of VNG by the Federal Trade Commission, and VSCC's approval of filings under the Virginia Affiliates Act.

Linginfelter has been with AGL for 17 years, working in various sales, marketing, and division operations jobs before being named a vice-president 3 years ago. Clayton H. Preble, senior vice-president, AGL Resources, will assume responsibility for regulatory affairs for AGL. He is a 30-year veteran of the company,

SDG&E, SoCalGas

Sempra Energy named Edwin A. Guiles has been named group president of the company's regulated business units and chairman of both San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Guiles, who first joined SDG&E in 1972, has a broad range of management experience with the company, including engineering, operations, customer services, and strategic planning. During 1993-97, he served as senior vice-president of energy supply for SDG&E, overseeing the company's procurement, generation, and transmission of electricity and natural gas. In 1997, he was named senior vice-president of Enova Corp., formerly the parent of SDG&E. In this role, he oversaw the transition planning and regulatory process for the merger of Enova and Pacific Enterprises, which formed Sempra Energy. On Jan. 1, 1998, he was named president of SDG&E.

Guiles succeeds Warren Mitchell, who retired last month as group president and chairman of both utilities. Guiles also holds the position of president of SoCalGas' Energy Distribution Services (EDS) unit, which serves residential and small-business customers.

Sempra also named Debra L. Reed president of SDG&E. Reed formerly served as president of SoCalGas' EDS. Reed joined SoCalGas in February 1978. After holding positions in marketing, environmental engineering, and human resources, she became the first female officer for SoCalGas in 1988 when she was appointed vice-president of administrative services. She was promoted to senior vice-president of EDS in 1995 and president in July 1998.

Sierra Pacific

Sierra Pacific Resources, Las Vegas, named Walter M. Higgins chairman, president, and CEO.

Higgins, 55, returns to Sierra Pacific, where he was chairman, president, and CEO during 1994-98. Since January 1998, he has served as chairman and CEO of AGL Resources.

Prior to joining Sierra Pacific in 1993, Higgins was president and chief operating officer of Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E). He joined LG&E in 1991 after serving nearly 14 years with Portland General Electric Co. (PGE) in Oregon, where his last position was that of senior vice-president. Sierra Pacific is acquiring PGE from Enron Corp.

GTI