FirstEnergy

People (November 2011)

Exelon and Constellation announce post-merger executive lineup; Xcel Energy names new CFO and general counsel; Organization of MISO States elects new officer; plus senior staff changes at FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating, American Electric Power, Alterra Power, and others.

People (October 2011)

Tennessee Valley Authority implements new leadership group; Foley & Lardner hires two partners; New York Independent System Operator names new consumer interest liaison; Alterra appoints new CEO; plus senior staff changes at Xcel Energy, Galvin Electricity Initiative, Arch Coal, and others.

Vendor Neutral

(October 2011) Wind Capital group selects RMT Inc. to design and construct wind energy facility; MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. and SunEdison acquire Fotowatio Renewable Ventures; Solar Community and Reliant Energy team up to offer financing options; KEMA selects Green Energy Corp.’s software; Leviton unveils commercial electric vehicle charging stations; plus announcements and contracts involving Science Applications International Corp., Tantalus, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. and others.

Interesting Times

Utilities stay the course in a volatile market.

A wave of mergers and acquisitions is moving through the industry, as utilities and financial players position for growth and strategic advantage. Will economic and regulatory forces continue supporting these transactions? Our annual finance special report examines trends in capital markets and M&A deals involving utilities, power generators and gas suppliers.

People (September 2011)

Hawaiian Electric Industries CEO selected to serve on National Infrastructure Advisory Council; PPL Corp. names new president; FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company names new director of strategic industry initiatives; USEC Inc. appoints new vice president and chief audit executive; plus senior staff changes at Southern Company, National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, Nebraska Public Power District, and others.

People (August 2011)

Dynegy names new president, adds three former NRG execs to corporate staff; Pace Global Energy Services announces new v.p. in the renewable energy development group; Mid Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners elects president; plus senior staff changes at Sempra Energy, Southern Company, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, and others.

Reconsidering Synergies

Cap-ex plans raise the stakes for utility mergers.

Investors historically have been skeptical about merger synergies in utility mergers, assuming that regulators will insist that most or all economic benefits flow to customers. However, recent transactions suggest utilities are taking a different approach to valuing synergies that might strengthen the case for mergers — not just for the merging parties, but also for investors and regulators.

People (April 2011)

Ameren announces new executive positions; The New York State Smart Grid Consortium names first executive director; Constellation Energy selects lead for solar sales and green initiatives; plus senior staff changes at Puget Sound Energy, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Pacific Gas and Electric, Central Vermont Public Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, and others.

Transactions (April 2011)

FirstEnergy closes $4.7 billion stock acquisition of Allegheny Energy; BHP Billiton agreed to by shale gas interests from Chesapeake Energy; Capital Power to acquire gas-fired cycle power plants from Brick Power Holdings and others.

Vendor Neutral

(April 2011) GE Hitachi and Lockheed Martin team up on nuclear reactor controls; Elster wins metering contract in New Hampshire; Xcel hires Bechtel for nuclear services in Minnesota; Mitsubishi builds transformer HQ in Memphis; Northeast Utilities taps Siemens for transmission projects; Iberdrola sells wind output to FirstEnergy; Consumers and DTE invest $400 million to upgrade pumped storage facility; plus contracts and announcements from Alstom, URS, Areva, groSolar, Pattern Energy, S&C Electric and others.