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New Positions:

Great Plains Energy Inc. named Michael Chesser as chairman and chief executive officer, effective Oct. 1. He succeeds Bernie Beaudoin, who is retiring at year's end. Chesser formerly served as president and COO at Atlantic Energy Inc. and as president and CEO at GPU Energy. He also served as chairman and CEO of Itron Inc., a maker of meter-reading and automated communications equipment, where he continues to serve on the board. Great Plains also named William Downey president, chief operating officer and a director. He also will serve as president and chief executive officer of its Kansas City Power & Light unit. Downey joined the company in 2000 and has served as executive vice president of Great Plains Energy and president of Kansas City Power & Light.

Wisconsin Energy Corp. said it would replace the head of its electric generation group with an executive from bankrupt Mirant Corp. The Milwaukee-based company, which owns two electric and gas utilities, said Rick Kuester, 53, will replace Richard Grigg as president and chief executive of We Generation, which includes Wisconsin Energy's regulated electric generation plants and three non-utility subsidiaries. Until his retirement next year, Grigg, 54, will serve as a special advisor to the company. Kuester, who will take over on Oct. 13, is leaving his position as chief executive of Mirant Asia-Pacific Ltd. and senior vice president, international of Mirant Corp.