Fortnightly Magazine - May 15 2002

The Perils of Ignoring Mother Nature

Experts say utilities' inconsistent approach to weather risk is costing them dearly.

Since their creation, energy companies have been powerless to defend themselves against the weather’s financial impact on business. No longer. An overview of what weather risk management has achieved.

Cape Cod: Twisting in the Wind?

Wind developers face a backlash from citizens.

A proposed offshore wind farm just a few miles from the historic, and tourist-packed, beaches of Cape Cod has sparked citizen opposition.

Biting Pat Wood's Hand

FERC finds the states have teeth, too.

FERC Chairman Pat Wood ought to be commended for trying to extend a hand of cooperation to state PUCs. But certainly he must by now understand that the nature of the state regulator, as the nature of the wolf, is unchangeable.

People (May 15, 2002)

Dr. Janice A. Beecher has been named director of the Institute of Pubic Utilities at Michigan State University. Calpine announced several promotions to its senior management team. Alliant Energy also announced several new appointments. And others ...

Letter to the Editor (May 15, 2002)

EPSA exec rebukes McCullough's claims.

A response to the article "Revisiting California," April 1, 2002: If the issues confronting California’s ratepayers weren’t so important, it would be easy to say that Robert McCullough’s efforts are best published on April Fools Day.

Energy Customers Focused on Bottom-Line

Public Utilities Fortnightly and POWERdat®

To control their energy budgets in this environment, corporate energy managers must quickly become familiar with markets in which they are inexperienced participants.

Backtracking in Georgia

The customer is always right.

Given all the flack it’s caught of late, it may not be too far off before Georgia’s esteemed deregulation program is saddled with the label of “fiasco” and “debacle.” The timing is strikingly similar to California, where that state’s electric restructuring experiment crumbled in the summer of 2000, two years and change after the flawed plan switched on.
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