CON EDISON renamed two unregulated subsidiaries: ProMark Energy Inc. (now Con Edison Solutions Inc.) and Gramercy Development Inc. (now Con Edison Development Inc.). Con Edison Solutions will provide electricity, natural gas and oil to commercial and residential customers in the Northeast. Con Edison Development will invest in energy and nonenergy business in the U.S. and overseas.

AES Corp. has begun construction of an 830-megawatt, gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in San Nicolás, Argentina. Nichimen Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the $440-

million AES Parana plant, expected to go on line in 2000. Total Corp., will supply part of the fuel.

The Southern Connecticut Gas Co. plans to build, own and manage the distribution facilities needed to transport 187,000 dekatherms of natural gas a day to a new power plant in Bridgeport. When finished, the 520-MW gas turbine plant will be the largest non-nuclear plant in the state, according to Connecticut Energy Corp., Southern's parent. United Illuminating will own the gas facility. The electric plant is expected to generate power by mid-1998. The initial 20-year firm transportation agreement, signed by Southern and Duke Energy Trading and Marketing L.L.C., calls for Southern to deliver 83,000 dekatherms daily.

Kentucky Utilities Co. has begun supplying wholesale power to the borough of Pitcairn, Pa. The agreement began in October, ending Pitcairn's contract with Duquesne Light Co. The terms of the KU agreement were not released. KU is a subsidiary of KU Energy Corp. and serves nearly a half million customers in Kentucky and Virginia.

New Energy Ventures contracted with the New York Farm Bureau to supply electricity beginning Nov. 1. The agreement falls under a two-year PSC-approved pilot, which could affect 17,600 farms and food processors. The bureau represents 27,000 member families.

The Electric Power Research Institute and SEMATECH formed the EPRI Center for Electronics Manufacturing. SEMATECH is a nonprofit semiconductor research consortium. The center will address productivity, environmental and energy issues in the electronics industry, particularly semiconductor manufacturing. Additional information is available at www.epri.com.

Teldata Inc. announced three water utility contracts with: The city of Portland Water Bureau, for a $250,000 demand-monitoring system to support the city's water supply forecast models; Eugene (Oregon) Water and Electric Board, for a strategic metering pilot to support load research and retail metering services that target the board's key accounts; and Aqualta, a municipal water provider in Edmonton, for 50 data-logging telemetry interface units that allow meter readings at 15-minute intervals.

GE Power Systems agreed to buy the 1,400-employee Stewart & Stevenson's Gas Turbine Division for $600 million in cash. Stewart & Stevenson Services Inc. and General Electric Co. signed the agreement Sept. 22. Stewart & Stevenson plans to focus on other product lines that make up the balance of its Engineered Power Systems division. GE says the acquisition will compliment its Power Systems business. Regulatory approval of the deal was expected by March.

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