By ANN DAVIS
Rock-bottom natural-gas prices aren't getting everyone down in the energy patch. Some participants are riding the downturn all the way to the bank.
Commodity traders and utilities have been stashing cheap gas in underground storage caverns during the past year. They have been locking in sales of the gas for future delivery at much higher prices on the futures markets or keeping costs low for electric power they produce in the future.
That is sparking a boom for companies that operate certain types of storage facilities, such as one controlled by Houston energy hedge-fund manager John Arnold.
Enterprise Products Partners LP
Enterprise Products Partners' gas-liquids separating complex in Mont Belvieu, Texas, is enjoying a robust business
And companies that turn natural gas into the raw material to make plastics, such as Enterprise Products Partners LP in Houston, are enjoying a boost, as crude-oil-based ingredients become pricey compared with gas.
The opportunities in a cheap-gas world underscore how operators in the energy business have learned to adapt to a range of market conditions. Some companies are prospering even as natural-gas producers come to the conclusion their fuel may be far cheaper for the foreseeable future
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