Contract disputes happen all the time between companies.
Since November, a contract between Enstar, a public utility that provides natural gas to Southcentral homes and businesses, and Hilcorp, which is the main gas producer in Cook Inlet, has been the center of a dispute over the steps and protocols for delivering “extra” gas — that which is not immediately needed.
Rather than go to arbitration, Enstar escalated the dispute to the court system with a complaint this week. It’s a disagreement about how Hilcorp delivers the “call option” natural gas for additional gas that Enstar wants but does not necessarily need. There are stages to the delivery process — Enstar has the basic gas, then is supposed to use gas it has in storage, and then can have a “call option” for more gas, as needed…