CMS reviews ownership of Australian assets

June 6, 2000
US energy group CMS Energy Corp. is reviewing its continued ownership of its Western Australian pipeline investments as well as other international assets. CMS has already withdrawn from bidding for Western Australia�s $1 billion (Aus.) gas-pipeline utility AlintaGas and in February said it plans to sell its half share of the $4.8 billion (Aus.) Loy Yang power generation station in Victoria.


MELBOURNE�US energy group CMS Energy Corp., is reviewing its continued ownership of its Western Australian pipeline investments as well as other international assets.

The pipeline assets include the Parmelia pipeline between Dongara gas field and Perth that CMS bought from West Australian Petroleum Pty. Ltd. in 1997 for around $120 million (Aus.) and a 45% interest in the $450 million (Aus.) Goldfields gas transmission pipeline extending from Onslow to Kambalda through the Pilbara iron ore and Yilgarn gold field regions.

CMS has already withdrawn from bidding for Western Australia�s $1 billion (Aus.) gas-pipeline utility AlintaGas and in February said it plans to sell its half share of the $4.8 billion (Aus.) Loy Yang power generation station in Victoria.

The moves coincide with similar sales attempts by Consolidated Natural Gas International, a unit of Consolidated Natural Gas Co., Pittsburgh. That company has had its 33% stake in Epic Energy Ltd. on the market for 6 months. Epic owns the $2.4 billion (Aus.) Dampier-to-Bunbury gas pipeline.