ecco la news del perche' il gas naturale si è impennato del 20% ultimamente, praticamente è collegato agli uragani
eccola in lingua originale :
Natural Gas Surges in New York on Hurricane Threat, Heat Wave
Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Natural-gas prices soared, nearing a six-month high, on concern Tropical Storm Chris will disrupt Gulf of Mexico production as a heat wave in the eastern U.S. spurs record demand for electricity to cool homes and offices.
Forecasts that Chris will become a hurricane today and reach the Gulf next week, where it may shut or damage oil and gas platforms, boosted crude oil prices. Power plants are burning more gas to meet air-conditioning needs as temperatures reach the highest in five years in some cities in the U.S. Northeast.
``Prices are up sharply on dual concerns: the potential threat to supply from an imminent Hurricane Chris, and a surge in weather induced demand,'' said Jason Schenker, an economist with Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte, North Carolina. ``The prospect of a hurricane that could shut in production is exacerbating price moves.''
Gas for September delivery rose 22.5 cents, or 3 percent, to $7.799 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It's rallied 8.6 percent this week and reached $8.545 earlier, approaching the highest since Feb. 6.
Natural gas has soared 40 percent in the past two weeks, rallying from the second-lowest closing price this year after the hottest weather of the summer hit nationwide. Before the rally, gas had plunged 51 percent this year because of soaring inventories after mild winter and spring weather cut demand. Chris is a reminder of last year's hurricane season, which shut as much as 80 percent of Gulf gas output.
Hurricane Strength Possible
Chris's maximum sustained winds are near 65 miles per hour, up from 40 yesterday, according to a 2 p.m. bulletin from the National Hurricane Center. A storm becomes a hurricane when wind speeds reach 74 miles an hour. The center of the storm was about 100 miles (165 kilometers) northeast of St. Thomas in the Caribbean Sea. A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane found that Chris had not strengthened yet.
``Chris could become a hurricane during the next 12 to 24 hours,'' the center said.
Crude also rose on concern that Chris may threaten Gulf oil fields. Crude for September delivery climbed 90 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $75.81 a barrel in New York.
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has taken preliminary steps to shut two rigs in the storm's projected path. Drillers Ensco International Inc., Transocean Inc. and Noble Corp. are preparing to shut down work and evacuate employees by this weekend.
Threat to Output
The Hurricane Center's five-day projected track takes Chris into the Gulf of Mexico by early next week. Gas prices rise on tropical storm threats because of concern that output will be cut. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita sent prices higher than $14 per million Btu. About 9 percent of Gulf output remains offline because of those storms.
``The storm might increase in strength and disturb the rigs in the Gulf,'' said Gary Silverman, a trader at ABN Amro Inc. in New York. ``They're saying now it should become upgraded to a category 1 hurricane.''
Scientists use the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale to grade hurricanes. Category 1 storms are the weakest, with top wind speeds of 74 to 95 mph. Major hurricanes register Category 3 to Category 5, meaning sustained winds of at least 111 mph (179 Kilometers per hour).
The Atlantic storm season may bring as many as 10 hurricanes, according to an outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A normal season yields six hurricanes. Three tropical storms have formed so far this year, Alberto, Beryl and now Chris. Last year produced a record 15 hurricanes.
Heat Wave
New York City may reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius) today, breaking the record for the date of 100 degrees from 1955, the National Weather Service said. New York hasn't seen 100- degree temperatures since Aug. 9, 2001. Boston was projected to reach 101 degrees, just short of the 102-degree record set in 1975.
Cooling needs will be double normal tomorrow in the Northeast, according to researcher Weather Derivatives in Belton, Missouri. U.S. demand will average 16 percent higher than normal tomorrow through Aug. 9, the forecaster said.
Gas is the third-largest source of fuel for U.S. electricity generators, behind coal and nuclear, according to the Energy Department. Power demand peaks in summer as people turn up air conditioners, sparking higher demand for electricity from gas- fired power plants.
Inventories
Hot weather has stoked utility demand for gas and limited the availability of supplies for placement in storage facilities. Storage companies recorded their first ever summertime withdrawal in the week ended July 21, according to the Energy Department.
The drop took stockpiles to 2.756 trillion cubic feet, 22 percent higher than the average for the past five years. The surplus of stored gas has shrunk since spring in part because of hot weather. Inventories were 63 percent above the five-year average at the start of April.
U.S. supplies may have gained by 20 billion cubic feet last week, according to the median estimate from 18 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. A gain of that size would compare to a five-year average increase of 62 billion and an increase last year of 38 billion. The Energy Department inventory report is expected tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Washington time.
