[BETA] Fortnightly

Last fall, utilities across the country began filing tariffs with FERC to explain how they’ll comply with Order 1000. That’s quite a handful, but maybe not a stretch for the RTOs. Not so for the non-RTO regions.

(September 2011) Walgreens to install eVgo charging stations at 800 sites; Siemens and eMeter team up in Maryland; Glasgow muni installs Elster meters; ABB completes Mincom acquisition; JDSU acquires Quanta-Sol PV technology; Survalent installs SCADA system at tidal power project; PECO selects Telvent; plus announcements and contracts involving Trilliant, Sensus, S&C Electric, Navigant, Ernst & Young, PSE&G, Portland General Electric and others.

Mergers & Acquisitions

CP&L + Florida Progress. Carolina Power & Light announced Aug. 23 that it would purchase Florida Progress Corp. for $5.3 billion in a combination that would create the nation's ninth-largest utility in terms of generating capacity, with $6.7 billion in annual revenues and 2.5 million customers in three states. CP&L would pay a premium (between 16.5 percent and 21 percent) over the pre-announcement share price of FP stock.

The Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is continuing a $140-million

antitrust lawsuit against Florida Power & Light Co. (FP&L), alleging that FP&L denied equal access to its electric transmission network. FMPA represents 10 municipal utilities, which pay FP&L for access to transmission lines. FMPA claims that FP&L violated antitrust laws by restricting network access and inflating access costs. FP&L says it offered transmission access to the municipalities, but the parties cannot agree on a price.