Transmission Asset Sales: Running the Regulatory Gauntlet
There are many considerations and obstacles to overcome before transmission assets can be bought or sold.
Fortnightly Magazine - May 15 2003
Why Aren't Distressed Assets Selling
'First movers' will be positioned to extract the most value from the acquisition of generation infrastructure.
Byline:
Bo Poats, Paul Meyers, Gary Vicinus, Richard Ashby, and Art Holland
Frontlines
The market speaks but we don't listen.
The market speaks but we don't listen.
Will someone please tell me: Where is the proof that the electric utility industry needs more investment in electric transmission? Is it not possible that we already have enough miles of high-voltage line?
I can scarcely turn around but see a new conference or workshop on how to encourage the electric industry to invest more in transmission infrastructure. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) leads that charge, though as a regulator it ought to stay neutral.
Byline:
Bruce W. Radford
People
New Positions:
New Positions:
President Bush named Dr. Nils J. Diaz chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), succeeding Richard A. Meserve. Diaz's current NRC term expires in 2006. Diaz also is professor-emeritus of Nuclear Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida.
Pantellos named Jim Neikirk president and CEO. Neikirk spent five years at Entergy Corp. as vice president and chief procurement officer.
Byline:
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Response From the Author
Byline:
[See H. Rept. No. 100-795 (PL 100-647) p.400.]
Perspective
It is hard tyo foresee abandoning the discounted cash flow method relied upon so heavily for the past couple of decades.
It is hard tyo foresee abandoning the discounted cash flow method relied upon so heavily for the past couple of decades.
In the Feb. 15, 2003, edition of , Jonathan Lesser says that regulators need to rethink the traditional discounted cash flow (DCF) method for finding the cost of capital, or "at the very least, regulators should no longer rely solely on the DCF to set allowed returns."
Byline:
Jeff D. Makholm
Benchmarks
Higher natural gas prices could be a boon for new development.
Byline:
Betsy S. Vaninetti
New York Throws a Curve
ISO's new ICAP scheme seen as subsidy for the gen sector.
For evidence that electric restructuring has lost its way, look no further than ICAP — the dubious idea that to guarantee reliability and low prices, regulators should create a market not just for trading the finished commodity, but also for buying and selling ownership rights in the future ability to produce.
Byline:
Bruce W. Radford
Business & Money
Cash flow reporting is more susceptible to manipulation than investors imagined.
Cash flow reporting is more susceptible to manipulation than investors imagined.
Financial results are the prism through which investors view performance in the world of business. Companies may have tens of thousands of employees supplying tangible goods and services to customers, but real and diverse activities are reduced to relatively few numbers when companies are valued.
Byline:
Raymond Hill, George J. Benston, and Al Hartgraves
Technology Corridor
How software controls can bridge the gap between wholesale market prices and consumer behavior.
How software controls can bridge the gap between wholesale market prices and consumer behavior.
As ideas go, a microgrid is nothing new. Think of steam pipes for district heating in older urban cores. But add a few software controls, and the possibilities grow.
Byline:
J.D. Kueck, R.M. Staunton, and B.J. Kirby