Starting January 1998, New Energy Ventures will provide electricity to the first coalition of water agencies to have joined together to purchase and sell the service.
The Association of California Water Agencies Utility Service Agency has agreed to purchase electricity from New Energy for one year. It will allow members to save a minimum of $5 million annually on electric costs, depending on how many members sign up.
California-based environmental and consumer groups have launched the nation's first voluntary certification and verification program for environmentally preferred electric products.
The Green-e Renewable Electricity Branding Program aims to help consumers choose environmentally friendly or "green" products. Californians soon will see promotional materials from marketers with the Green-e Program's certification on electric products that contain at least 50-percent renewable electric content.
The Georgia Public Service Commission has established standards for issuing certificates to marketers to compete under the state's Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act.
Under the standards, candidates must show their creditworthiness. To compete, a marketer must prove that its capital base or other financial resources can withstand the business and financial risk and absorb losses that might occur in providing firm gas service to retail customers.
S.B. 215, which was signed into law in April, established a regulatory framework to deregulate the gas industry.
While some utilities would like to sell customers electricity bundled with local and long-distance telephone and cable television, consumers may not be interested, according to a recent survey.
The RKS National Residential Customer Assessment found that residential customers view bundled service offerings with suspicion.
"These latest findings call into question the concept of cross-functional mergers (em the idea of combining a variety of energy and communications services under a single brand for the residential market," said David J. Reichman, RKS research president.
CON EDISON renamed two unregulated subsidiaries: ProMark Energy Inc. (now Con Edison Solutions Inc.) and Gramercy Development Inc. (now Con Edison Development Inc.). Con Edison Solutions will provide electricity, natural gas and oil to commercial and residential customers in the Northeast. Con Edison Development will invest in energy and nonenergy business in the U.S. and overseas.
AES Corp. has begun construction of an 830-megawatt, gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in San Nicolás, Argentina. Nichimen Corp.
THAINE J. MICHIE, general manager of the Platte River Power authority, was named president of the American Public Power Association. Michie has more than 30 years experience in the electric power industry; he has served on the APPA board since 1990.
Lanny P. Waguespack was chosen to head CMS Gas Transmission and Storage Co.'s new Denver office. He also was named director of business development in the western U.S. for the CMS Energy Corp. unit.
Executives at two subsidiaries of Aquarion Cos. were elected to leadership positions at industry associations. Leendert T.
The FERC Uncorked?
If you have quoted Commissioner Massey accurately ("Hoecker Takes FERC Helm, Makes Assignments," Inside Washington, Sept. 1, p. 53), there is the distinct possibility that he has drunk too much wine!
Milton J. Grossman
Attorney
Washington, D.C.
Editor's Note: Our associate legal editor, Lori A. Burkhart, confirms the quote (em "I've visited his house, I've swam in his pool, I've drank his wine" (em but protects her sources.
WHEN UTILITIES SAY THEY WILL "EXIT" THE generation business (em their stock in trade for the last 50 years (em what does that mean exactly? And what of those that plan to "concentrate" on transmission and distribution? Can you visualize a T&D utility? What would it look like? How many employees? How big a dividend? It's time to ponder these questions.
DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC GROWTH, INDUSTRIALIZATION and privatization, worldwide demand for primary energy could double by 2020 (em requiring one 500-megawatt power plant to be built every 3.5 days to meet that need. Much of this growth will occur in Asian countries, most notably China, Thailand, India, South Korea, and Indonesia. China alone is expected to increase electric generating capacity by 15,000 MW per year at a cost of about $15 billion annually.
KCPL first with meters, automation; APS second for T&D management.
IF THE 1997 ULTRA COMPETITION CAN SERVE AS A GUIDE, then perhaps the forgotten "wires" business offers the next great opportunity for new applications in information technology.
That's the lesson of this year's contest, which saw Kansas City Power & Light Co., and Arizona Public Service Co. win the top two prizes. Each company gained recognition for IT applications designed in large part to modernize electric utility distribution systems.