Become a PUF Member Organization

Fortnightly Magazine - October 1 2003

 Mistake by the Lake

The blackout could doom deregulation, but why treat reliability and reform as either-or?

The Great Blackout of August 2003 may well spell the doom of deregulation as we know it for the electric industry. Yet I believe that reliability and a move to markets need not be mutually exclusive. Rather, they must march forward together, in step, for either to succeed.
Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

Read Entire Article

People

People for October 1, 2003.

New positions at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Cleco, Avista, and others.
Byline: 

PUF

Read Entire Article

The Northeast: Facing Grid Meltdown

Four factors could lead to further shockwaves.

The Northeast transmission grid has suffered a right cross to the jaw, but it could be followed by an uppercut of price spikes and volatility in generation markets by next summer. A review of market conditions suggest that a hotter than normal summer in the Northeast may well challenge both generation and transmission infrastructures.
Byline: 

Steve Piper

Read Entire Article

Electric Gridlock: A National Solution

FERC should consider a two-part tariff to boost transmission investment.

The existing transmission system was built to connect a utility’s power plants to its customers. It was never designed for getting power from any generator to any customer in a competitive generation market.
Byline: 

Jay Apt and Lester B. Lave

Read Entire Article

Restructure or Bust?

Why FERC must yield to bankruptcy law.

How will regulators react if the current trickle of bankruptcies within the debt-laden merchant power sector should suddenly become a torrent? Will they encourage the necessary restrcturing of debt, or will they stand in the way?
Byline: 

Kenneth Irvin and Robert Loeffler

Read Entire Article

Financial Accounting: Beware of Unlucky 13

The application of FASB Statement No. 13 can result in unforeseen changes to the financial statements and, in turn, financial ratios of a utility.

The utility industry continues to be a fluid environment with significant deleveraging activities that affect various types of agreements and contracts, so companies should be cognizant of EITF 01-08 and the impact it could have on their financial statements and, in turn, their financial ratios.
Byline: 

John McKay

Read Entire Article

The CIO Forum: Budgets Byte Back

Chief tech officers discuss how they are using their data to beat the competitition.

CIOs from a traditional utility, a merchant generator, and an independent system operator tell how they stretched every penny to make their companies technologically savvy during tough economic times. They say data, not applications, ruled the roost this year—and will in the future
Byline: 

Jennifer Alvey

Read Entire Article

Blackouts? never Again! (But...)

We ask merchant grid developers if anything can ever be done.

How will technicians prevent another major blackout? Fortnightly weaves the opinions of industry insiders on the keys to electric reliability with a cautionary tale from Connecticut to present solutions for what’s ailing the grid.
Byline: 

Lori A. Burkhart

Read Entire Article

Customers Interrupted

Utilities that are short on capacity and operate in a stable regulatory environment may be able to extract value from interruptible rates.

The low prices in today’s wholesale electric markets have resulted in a reduction in the value of the retail market-based rates for both the utility and the customer, but utilities that are short on capacity and operate in a stable regulatory environment may be able to extract some value from interruptible rates.
Byline: 

Mike Whitmore

Read Entire Article

What Do You Mean by Green?

Seemingly eco-friendly definitions can prevent adoption of renewable portfolio standards.

Seemingly eco-friendly definitions can prevent adoption of renewable portfolio standards.

Byline: 

Michael Strong

Read Entire Article
V