[BETA] Fortnightly

ElectricStakeholdersForum

Consumers

Labor Unions

ManagementDeregulation isn't just for utilities anymore.

This year, PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY'S

annual Electric Executive's Forum recognizes

the growing constituency of the electric

utility industry. Although utility executives

are still the industry's biggest players,

economists, consumer advocates, and union

representatives have taken more visible

positions on restructuring. More and more,

these opinion leaders help shape the debate.

That's why we asked them to participate,

side by side, with their utility counterparts.

Consumers:

Cost or Benefit?

s Cherry Picking: Will large, moneyed, industrial customers grab the benefits of competition, leaving retail customers to pay more than they would without competition?

s Customer Transition Charges: Should stranded investment charges be assessed only on customers that take advantage of retail wheeling, or on all customers?

s Retail Wheeling: Do small (residential) customers want or even need it?

s The Environment: Will competition hurt the environment and therefore hurt small customers in a more immeasurable way?

Unions:

Odd Man Out?

s Downsizing: Has it threatened the level or reliability of electric utility service?

s Harmony: How can unions and management agree on safe, efficient systems?

s Working It Out: Where do utilities and unions see eye to eye on competition and restructuring? Where do they part ways?

s The Future: What will happen to union-management relations as more demands are placed on utilities to be cost-competitive?

Management:

Merge, Divest, or Both?

s Merger Magic: Do we have any proof that mergers bring efficiencies?

s Debt Service: Do mergers or divestitures raise the capital costs of electric generation?

s Hard Numbers: How many generating companies will we end up with? What about transmission companies?

s Disaggregation: Assuming it occurs, how would unbridled market power be prevented?

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