Competition in the US natural gas markets is continuing to provide economic benefits for customers, despite the financial problems of some participants and shaken confidence in the market, says a new report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc).

The 2003 Natural Gas Market Assessment*, which was released at Ferc’s bi-weekly commission meeting on January 29, is the first major report from the agency’s Office of Market Oversight and Investigations (OMOI). OMOI was launched in August