INTERVIEW-US Energy Sec'y sees plenty of winter heating oil

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Oct 10 (Reuters) - The United States will have plenty of heating oil supplies this winter to meet consumer demand, but the Bush administration is concerned about higher prices for the fuel, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on Wednesday.

"I think we're in reasonable shape in terms of supply," Bodman told Reuters in an interview. "There seems to be enough oil ... to get by. It's a matter of increased costs," he said.

Bodman was referring to the Energy Information Administration's new winter forecast, which is projecting that consumers will pay more for all heating fuels.

Heating oil expenditures this winter in the Northeast states, the biggest U.S. heating oil market where a third of the households use the fuel, will be up 22 percent, or $328, to $1,827 for the season, according to the EIA.