(October 2006) Kansas City Power & Light promoted Kevin Bryant to vice president of Energy Solutions. American Electric Power announced a series of executive reassignments as part of the company’s succession planning strategy. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. elected Bill Morrow as president and COO. Bob Drennan, a 23-year Progress Energy veteran, has been named vice president of investor relations. And others...
A rash of rate hikes around the country could have utilities facing a public-relations disaster.
Richard Stavros, Executive Editor
Constellation Energy CEO Mayo Shattuck has complained that he and the utility have unfairly been demonized in the public and in the press. In one interview with a Maryland paper, Shattuck showed distress over the verbal abuse his executives had received from angry ratepayers. And who can blame him?
Failing to address and adapt to the new ratemaking realities could result in increased costs for the economy.
Mark A. Jamison and Paul Sotkiewicz
The approaching 100th anniversary of regulation by public utility commissions in the United States calls for some reflection. How much have things changed, and how much have they stayed the same?
Utilities must trim the fat from excessive stock options, stock grants and executive pay.
Richard Stavros, Executive Editor
This month’s cover story focuses on how utilities intend to find the talent they’ll need over the next few years to replace all those retiring baby boomers. And part of that puzzle naturally involves executive pay: how to attract the best and brightest without going overboard on rewards for performance.
Not in all cases, or for all stakeholders. Here’s why.
Prescott Hartshorne and James Coyne
The industry perceives substantial benefits from consolidating. But what is the track record? Does the regulatory and strategic landscape suggest these mergers are beneficial?
Congress gives FERC an impossible task: Craft long-term transmission rights to save native load from paying grid congestion costs.
If “perfect” be the enemy of the “good,” then look no further for proof than in Federal Power Act section 217(b)(4), enacted by Congress in EPACT 2005.
To the Editor:
In “Rate-Base Cleansings: Rolling Over Ratepayers” (November 2005, p.58), Michael Majoros urges state public utility commissions to recognize a refundable regulatory liability for past charges to ratepayers for non-legal asset retirement costs.
A review of total shareholder returns shows how growth and merger strategies drove performance last year.
Dean C. Maschoff, Thomas F. Read, and Jason K. D’Souza
To better understand the performance of the electric utility sector from both a short-term and long-term perspective, we examined the total shareholder return (TSR)—dividends plus change in stock price—of 58 electric companies for 2005 and for three- and five-year periods. We grouped these companies into four categories to better understand the impact of alternative strategies on investor performance: Recovering, Traditionalist, Growth, and Merger.
Banks are reshaping the energy-trading landscape. When the dust settles, utility companies will face different strategic horizons.
Utility executives face volatile energy markets, skyrocketing fuel prices, and changing federal energy policies. How are utilities benefiting from the turnaround in energy trading?
A new wave of consolidation is coming. To succeed, a company must understand where its strengths are.
Peter Lorenz, Matt Pond, and Thomas Seitz
Companies that relied heavily on mergers and acquisitions generated more than half of the value in the power industry during the past 10 years. Furthermore, more than half that value was generated by a handful of companies. How did they do it?
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