Insights
Natural gas Insights
Transportation Deserves Attention as Strategy to Control Energy Costs
November 2010
Recent trends in the gas industry lead to the realization that a transportation strategy has become an important area for analysis by energy buyers. Read more >>
Who Does What in the Natural Gas Industry?
November 2010
The natural gas marketplace combines a volatile commodity market with an array of regulated utility services and contracts delivered through a complex supply chain. Understanding who the players are in this market helps energy buyers meet the unique challenges of natural gas procurement. Read more >>
Hallowe'en Agreement - Trick or Treat for Today's Consumers?
October 2010
Twenty-five years ago on October 31, the federal government and Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan announced the Agreement on Natural Gas Markets and Prices. This Hallowe'en Agreement initiated the deregulation of prices and the move toward a free market for the commodity. Did it result in a trick or treat for today's consumers? Read more >>
Benefits of Quebec Shale Gas for Ontario Not a Certainty
October 2010
Shale gas in Quebec has the potential to further diversify and bolster supply for Ontario and lower costs for consumers, but it's not a certainty. Read more >>
Hurricanes and Hedging - Price Risk Management in Action
September 2010
Commodity price risk management costs money and raises questions about how likely it is that things will go wrong and how bad it will be if they do. The annual hurricane season is one phenomenon that can be used to illustrate price risk management in action. Read more >>
Forecasting Gas Consumption - What to Do about the Weather
September 2010
For most bundled customers with weather sensitive loads, forecasting their natural gas consumption for the next contract year becomes a bit of a guessing game. Adjusting the forecast for the weather requires careful assessment. Read more >>
Agreement on Enbridge System Reliability - Customer Impacts Will Vary
August 2010
Enbridge Gas Distribution is requesting Ontario Energy Board approval of an agreement reached with its stakeholders that sets out the terms for addressing system reliability concerns raised by the utility. The terms affect customers buying their supply from Enbridge and bundled transportation customers, to varying degrees. Read more >>
Hurricanes and Natural Gas Prices: The Link
May 2010
The production of natural gas may be disrupted by hurricanes that damage or shut down offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Just expected hurricane activity can exert a noticeable effect on prices long before the hurricanes even form. Read more >>
Moving Marcellus Gas into Ontario: A New Purchasing Opportunity
February 2010
With new extraction techniques, the Marcellus shale formation in the Appalachian Mountains has become one key area of interest for unconventional gas supply. As a result, pipeline companies have been gauging interest in pipeline capacity from Marcellus back to Dawn in Ontario. Read more >>
Basis Changes - A Key Factor in Energy Buying Strategies
February 2010
Until this past autumn, AECO prices tended to be at a large discount to NYMEX prices. This discount has narrowed considerably, with a similar trend observable between AECO prices and those at Dawn in Ontario. Changing basis relationships suggest buyers need to shift their focus when it comes to energy buying strategies. Read more >>