Become a PUF Member Organization

Fortnightly Magazine - October 15 1997

Foreign Utility Investments are Questioned

Campaign for a Prosperous Georgia has asked the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider and vacate orders by the Securities and Exchange Commission allowing Southern Co. to move forward with investments in foreign companies.

CPG claims that the SEC should have denied the utility's request to acquire foreign utilities using financing and guarantees of more than 50 percent of retained earnings. The company claimed that such acquisitions violate "safe harbor" limits. The filing points to the recent agreement by Southern Co.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

New York Utilities Ask for Market-Based Rates

Six out of eight members of the New York Power Pool have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a request to provide electricity, installed capacity and ancillary services at market-based rates in the state's restructured market.

Included in the Aug. 15 filing are market power analyses for individual members and a plan for monitoring the proposed New York ISO. According to the utilities, the analyses demonstrate that the market under the proposed industry structure will be workably competitive. They also support the market-based rate proposal.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

NRC Eyes Decommisisoning Funds in Restructuring Statement

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final policy statement on its intended approach to nuclear plant licensees as the electric industry moves toward greater competition.

While the NRC has concluded that its regulations can address future changes, it is considering revising its financial and assurance requirements for decommissioning funds.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

Rate Cut Depend on Stranded Costs, Time

A new report from the Department of Energy may confirm what many in the electric industry have said all along: That while stranded costs could dissolve some short-term gains from competition, in the long term, consumers will still come out ahead.

"I'm surprised and delighted that the same EIA, which once wrongly predicted price hikes from natural gas deregulation, now confirms what we've been saying all along," said Rep. Tom Bliley (R-Va.).

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

Electric Competition: A Gas Booster

Restructuring of the electric industry "is not an impediment" for the natural gas industry, according to Paul Holtberg of the Gas Research Institute. Just make sure to distinguish between restructuring's evolution, or transition period, and the post-transition period, he adds.

The just-released 1998 edition of GRI's "Baseline Projection of U.S.

Byline: 
Lori M. Rodgers
Read Entire Article

Gas Restructuring: Can Distributors Repeat the Success of Pipelines?

A talk with two LDCs. First, PSE&G appears content to cede sales to marketers, Second, NW Natural intends not to give in just yet.

This much is clear: Energy utilities are headed for an unbundled future.

As states from both sides of the country implement residential and commercial natural gas unbundling, require residential choice pilot programs and grapple with electric industry restructuring, competition shows no signs of slowing. To boot, some members of Congress seem eager to give competition a national push.

Byline: 
S. Lawrence Paulson
Read Entire Article

New York Solar Homes Get Tax Break

New Yorkers could get tax breaks of up to $3,750 for installing solar systems, beginning next year.

New York Gov. George F. Pataki signed into law on Aug. 19 the "Solar Choice Act," aimed at encouraging solar energy system investments through income tax credits. The Act also would allow residential customers to receive the full retail value of the electric generated by their systems.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

Moody's Southeast IOUs Can Compete

Investor-owned utilities serving the Southeast U.S. are well-positioned to face increasing competition, but the region's municipal joint power agencies and electric co-ops may face serious losses.

That's the finding of a Moody's Investors Service regional study, the fourth in a series.

The "Southeast Electric Break-Even Analysis" estimates $24 billion in stranded costs for the region, with cooperatives and JPAs holding a disproportionately high portion of the per-kilowatt costs.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

Retail Gas Choice Ok'd in N.M.

The New Mexico Public Utility Commission has approved a natural gas restructuring plan for Public Service Co. of New Mexico.

The plan allows residential gas customers and small businesses using less than 10,000 therms per year to select gas providers; some as early as December (Case No. 2760).

According to David Warren, PUC executive director, the commission opened natural gas to competition 10 years ago, but because of various barriers, customers didn't take advantage of it. PSNM, for example, continued to charge exiting customers a $35-per-month rental fee.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article

SoCalEd Begins Plant Auction

Southern California Edison has begun auctioning its 12 gas- and oil-fired generation plants. The plants boast an operating capacity of about 10,000 MW and a combined value of about $700 million.

The auction is being conducted in two phases. The first phase began Aug. 5, when SoCalEd sent out a confidential offering memo for its five "non-must-run" plants. The second phase took place in late August, when SoCalEd auctioned "must-run" plants.

Byline: 
Lori A. Burkhart
Read Entire Article
V