DTE Energy Technologies, an unregulated subsidiary of DTE Energy Co. said it has signed a distribution agreement for standby electric generators with Kohler Co., a manufacturer of integrated power systems. DTE Energy Technologies will market the prepackaged Kohler products on a nonexclusive basis in southeastern Michigan. The standby power units operate on natural gas or liquid propane, with rated power ranges of 7.5 kw to 2 Mw.
CMS Generation Co., a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corp., Dearborn, Mich., reported the first two gas-fueled electric generating units totaling 370 Mw have begun commercial operation at the Al Taweelah A2 power and desalination facility under construction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Al Taweelah A2's first unit began supplying commercial electricity to the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Co. (ADWEC) July 20, while the second unit achieved commercial operation on July 24. Each of the units is capable of generating about 185 Mw. The plant's desalination units and remaining electric generating units are scheduled to begin operating by August 2001.
PG&E Corp.'s national energy group reported it has begun operation of a 16 Mw peaking plant in Bowling Green, Ohio. The company plans to begin operation of a second, 30 Mw General Electric Co. Frame 5 generator within the next few weeks as part of its initial efforts to meet summer electricity demand this year. The gas-fired units can be started and quickly brought on line to respond to increases in power demand, the company said. Together, the two units will be capable of delivering enough electricity for about 49,000 homes.
Cleco Corp. and Southern Energy Inc. said they will jointly develop a 700 Mw power plant in Perryville, La. Plans include the possibility of expanding the plant. Subsidiaries of Cleco Midstream Resources LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cleco, and Southern Energy, a unit of Southern Co., will each have a 50% interest in the natural gas-fired plant under the agreement. The first phase will consist of one, 150 Mw General Electric Co. combustion turbine in simple cycle configuration with commercial operation slated for summer 2001. The second phase will consist of two General Electric combustion turbines in combined cycle configuration with an output of 550 Mw. Commercial operation of Phase II is scheduled for summer 2002.
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a final order granting a certificate of convenience and necessity to Questar Corp. for the $155 million Southern Trails pipeline. When completed, the project would ship natural gas to southern California from natural gas-producing basins in the Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah share a common border. The 693-mile, 16-in. pipeline was built by a group of oil companies in 1957 to move crude oil to southern California refineries. Questar purchased the pipeline in 1998, and formed a subsidiary to convert it to operate as a natural pipeline. The Southern Trails pipeline will transport 80-90 MMcfd of gas across New Mexico and Arizona and 120 MMcfd in California. The project is still subject to various regulatory approvals and agreements with interconnecting pipeline companies.
Caminus Corp., New York, reported it has entered into a letter of intent to acquire energy software company Nucleus Corp. of Texas. Caminus supplies software systems for trading and risk management to electric power and natural gas companies. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The proposed acquisition is subject to the negotiation and execution of a definitive purchase agreement and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.