![](media/image1.jpeg){width="8.5in" height="3.5027777777777778in"}U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

**Office of Energy Assurance**

**ENERGY ASSURANCE DAILY**

**December 7, 2004**

**Electricity**

**PG&E Reports 76,000 CA Customers Lost Power in Storm Monday Night\
**Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman reports 5,000 customers in
the Bay Area are without power this morning after heavy winds knocked
out power across the region overnight. Spokesman Chrisite Dennis, said
that since the beginning of the storm Monday night, 76,000 customers in
the Bay Area lost power. Most of those have been restored.
<http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041207/APN/412070798>

**Update \-- Huntsville, Alabama Outage on Monday\
**A raccoon got into a Huntsville electrical substation downtown,
leaving 44,000 homes and businesses without power for nearly two hours.
Huntsville Utilities spokesman Bill Yell said the power went out Monday
at 2:43 p.m. after the raccoon got into equipment at one of the
utility\'s large electrical substations.
<http://www.wpmi.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=019F2792-2B04-46D3-8D45-B8AFD57D042F>

### Wind Knocks Over Semi, Knocks Out Power in Ohio

Strong winds blowing through the Tri-state today knocked over a semi on
an Ohio River bridge and knocked out power to 23,800 Cinergy customers.
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/wesh/20041207/lo_wlwt/2486979>

**Entergy: 1,000-MW Indian Point 2 At Full Power After Shut Down**\
Entergy Corp.\'s (ETR) 1,000-megawatt Indian Point 2 nuclear reactor was
running at full power Monday after shutting Friday night for repair
work, according to reports made public by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Entergy shut the unit to fix a weld and had it back at full
power by Saturday evening, company spokesman Jim Steets said.
<http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/news/power/news_article.cfm?id=5319751>

# Catawba Reactor in South Carolina Returns to Service 

Duke Energy Corp.\'s 1,129-megawatt Catawba 1 nuclear reactor in South
Carolina began producing power

at 8:17 a.m. today after shutting down on Dec. 5. The reactor shut down
after a signal indicated a high water level in the turbine. An
inspection found a faulty monitoring instrument, which has been
replaced.\
Bloomberg News, 1010 December 7, 2004

**Calpine's Delta Energy 312 MW Gas-fired Unit Shut Down Tuesday**

Reuters, 1341 December 7, 2004

**AES's Huntington Beach 226 MW Gas-fired Unit 1 Shut Down Monday**

Reuters, 1341 December 7, 2004

**Exelon Ill. LaSalle 1 Nuke Back at Full Power**

Chicago-based energy company Exelon Corp.\'s 1,144-megawatt LaSalle 1
nuclear unit in Illinois returned to full power by early Tuesday, the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in its power reactor status
report. Over the weekend, the company reduced the unit\'s output for a
rod pattern adjustment and surveillance testing. It was operating at 66
percent of capacity early Monday.\
Reuters, 0841 December 7, 2004

**AES's Calif. Alamitos 4 Power Unit Back**\
Virginia-based global energy company AES Corp.\'s 320-megawatt unit 4 at
the Alamitos gas-fired power station in California returned to service
by early Tuesday, the California Independent System Operator said in a
report. The unit shut for unplanned reasons on about Dec. 3.

Reuters, 1032 December 7, 2004

# Nevada Mohave 2 Power Unit Shut

Southern California Edison Co.\'s 790-megawatt Mohave 2 coal-fired power
unit in Nevada shut by early Tuesday for unplanned reasons, the
California Independent System Operator said in a report.

Reuters, 1040 December 7, 2004

# Duke Calif. Moss Landing 6 Power Unit Shut

North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corp.\'s 750-megawatt Moss Landing 6
natural gas-fired unit in California shut by early Tuesday, the
California Independent System Operator said in a report. The unit was
available for service on Monday after it returned to service from a
planned maintenance outage begun on about Nov. 29.

Reuters, 1048 December 7, 2004

**Electricity Transmission in a Restructured Industry:**

**Data Needs for Public Policy Analysis**

U.S. utility data collected by the federal government has not kept pace
with rapid changes in the industry and cannot accurately monitor the
reliability of the nation\'s power grid, the Energy Information
Administration said on Tuesday. In a new, 73-page report, the EIA
analyzed data now submitted by companies to it and to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission.

Reuters, 1411 December, 7, 2004

See the full report @
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/oss/TransmissionDataNeeds-DH.pdf>

Quebec Group Damages Tower Carrying Power to U.S.

A Quebec anti-globalization group has claimed responsibility for a blast
that damaged a transmission tower channeling electricity from the
Canadian province to the United States, police said on Tuesday. An
individual or group identifying itself as Initiative de resistance
Internationaliste sent an e-mail to Quebec media outlets on Sunday
claiming responsibility for the damage to the tower near Coaticook, just
a few kilometers (miles) from the border with Vermont. The damage did
not interrupt the flow of electricity on the 450,000 volt line, which is
used only to carry power from Quebec to the New England Power Pool. The
tower was leaning to one side, but could be repaired rather than
replaced.

Reuters, 1027 December 7, 2004

**Petroleum**

**Power Back on at Magellan, Motiva New Haven, CT Racks**\
OPIS has learned that the power is back on at two New Haven, Conn.
terminals. Power was off for three hours today.

OPIS Price Watch Alert, 1121 December 7, 2004

**Exxon Mobil Shut and Restarted Boiler at Baytown Refinery**\
Exxon Mobil Corp. shut and restarted a boiler for a fluidic catalytic
cracking unit at the 557,000 barrel per day refinery in Baytown, Texas,
according to a filing on Dec. 6 with regulators.\
Reuters, 1254 December 7, 2004

**Update \-- Likely Cause of Delaware River Oil Spill Found\
**A survey team comprised of members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps
of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a
private contractor representative for the vessel owner has located a
metal object in the vicinity where the oil spill is suspected to have
originated. Using multiple sonar technologies, the object was found
approximately 700 feet away from the CITGO dock in the anchorage area.
Divers pinpointed the location of the object and identified it as a
15-foot curved piece of pipe. Preliminary forensic tests of the paint on
the pipe and paint on the vessel are a positive match. Further testing
will also be conducted. GPS tracking of the M/V ATHOS I indicates it
passed over the object as it was being moved into place at the pier.\
[*http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?cid=864&fuseaction=EXTERNAL.docview&documentID=58626*](http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?cid=864&fuseaction=EXTERNAL.docview&documentID=58626)

# 

# NYMEX Oil Ends Lower; Distillate Stocks Seen Up

U.S. crude oil futures ended 3.5 percent lower on Tuesday, hitting
three- to four-month lows on forecasts of a build in distillate stocks,
including heating oil, when weekly inventory data are released on
Wednesday, traders said. NYMEX crude for January delivery settled down
\$1.52 at \$41.46 a barrel. It fell as low as \$41.38, the lowest since
the Aug. 30 low of \$41.30.\
Reuters, 1536 December 7, 2004\
<http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/041207/markets_oil_3.html>\
Bloomberg News, 1537 December 7, 2004

**Nigerian Villagers End Three-day Occupation of Oil Installations\
**Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell said the protestors on its two plants
had departed to nearby village Freetown, on Tuesday. Earlier, US company
ChevronTexaco said Ijaw villagers had also halted their protest at its
oil flow facility. Both firms will discuss with protesters their demands
for greater regional investment on Wednesday. \"They have all left. They
have gone to an adjoining village called Freetown,\" a Shell spokesman
told AFP. The lost production is estimated between 90,000 and 120,000
barrels a day. Nigeria\'s normal daily output is about 2.5 million
barrels. It is not clear when production will be resumed.\
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4075655.stm>\
Reuters, 0633 December 7, 2004

**Natural Gas**

**Public Voices Concern Over Sound Terminal**

The company that wants to put a \$700 million liquefied natural gas
plant the size of the Queen Mary II in the middle of Long Island Sound
took its plan before the public for the first time Monday, but not
before an array of environmentalists and public officials raised
questions.
<http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13503128&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=6>

**Duke Energy to Spend \$1 Billion on Pipeline Expansions**

Duke Energy Corp., the largest U.S. utility owner, plans to spend \$1
billion on pipeline expansions

to capitalize on increasing fuel demand and connect with
liquefied-natural-gas terminals. The expansions would take place in the
\`\`next few years,\'\' Thomas O\'Connor, chief executive of Duke\'s
pipeline unit, told investors today at conference in New York. Duke\'s
pipelines generate enough cash to fund the projects, he said.\
Bloomberg News, 1611 December 7, 2004

**Natgas Ends Down Sharply with Crude, Weather**

NYMEX natural gas futures ended sharply lower on Tuesday, undermined by
weaker crude, mild temperatures this week and talk that some weather
models were not expecting a cold shot next week to be sustained, traders
said. January futures skidded 30.2 cents, or 4 percent, to close at
\$6.621 per million British thermal units after opening at \$6.89, then
diving late to \$6.58.\
Reuters, 1538 December 7, 2004

**Other**

Nothing to report.

**Energy Prices**

+-------------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+
|                               | **Latest  | **\       | **\        |
|                               | (12       | Week      | Year Ago** |
|                               | /07/04)** | Ago**     |            |
+-------------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+
| **CRUDE OIL**                 | 41.51     | 49.16     | 30.68      |
|                               |           |           |            |
| **West Texas Intermediate     |           |           |            |
| US**                          |           |           |            |
|                               |           |           |            |
| \$/Barrel                     |           |           |            |
+-------------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+
| **NATURAL GAS**               | 6.03      | 6.79      | 6.27       |
|                               |           |           |            |
| **Henry Hub**                 |           |           |            |
|                               |           |           |            |
| \$/Million Btu                |           |           |            |
+-------------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+

> Source: Reuters

**This Week in Petroleum** from the Energy Information Administration
(EIA)

[*http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp*](http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp)

Updated on Wednesdays

**Weekly Petroleum Status Report** from EIA**\
**[*http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/weekly_petroleum_status_report/wpsr.html*](http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/weekly_petroleum_status_report/wpsr.html)

Updated after 1:00pm (Eastern time) on Wednesdays

**Natural Gas Weekly Update** from EIA

[*http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp*](http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp)

Updated after 2:00 pm (Eastern time) on Thursdays