New Hires:
Progress Energy shareholders re-elected Edwin B. Borden, James E. Bostic Jr., David L. Burner, Richard L. Daugherty, and Richard A. Nunis as Class II directors of the company. They will serve three-year terms.
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Erlich Jr. named state delegate Kenneth D. Schisler chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission. Schisler succeeds Catherine I. Riley.
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.
For Want of a Nail: Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point
The issues facing Entergy's nuclear plant are fixable. Why shut it down?
What happens when law, technology, and politics collide? It's anyone's guess.
New Positions:
Dynegy Inc. named Holli C. Nichols its senior vice president and corporate controller. Nichols joined Dynegy in 2000 after working for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Southern Co. Executive Vice President Leonard J. Haynes was installed as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the North American Energy Standards Board, succeeding Bill Boswell.
New Hires:
The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) promoted Dave Nevius to senior vice president; David Cook to vice president and general counsel; and Don Benjamin to vice president. Nevius has been a vice president at NERC since 1986; Cook has been NERC's general counsel since 1999; and Benjamin has been director of operations since 1985.
Ameren Corp. named Martin J. Lyons vice president. Lyons has been the company's controller since joining Ameren in October 2001.
Pension Plans May Slow Utility Growth in 2003
The economic downturn is increasing utility pension plan costs and liabilities.
While 401(k) stock option plans have increasingly displaced traditional pension plans in corporate America, many mature firms like electric utilities are still administering sizeable pension plans that in the recent economic downturn could compromise future earnings, according to a report by investment bank CIBC World Markets (CIBC).
Are banks better at trading power than utilities?
Bank of America's recent request to FERC to be allowed to trade power was yet one more reminder that a whole new class of companies are quietly positioning themselves to dominate what's left of the energy trading space after the departure of traders like Enron and Aquila.
By Lori A. Burkhart
Gas-fired power is king today, but fuel diversity needs and new technologies may open the door for nuclear and coal.
The nation's demand for electricity is expected to grow by over 40 percent in the next 20 years, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Meeting that need will require a great number of new generating plants. The burning question is, what will fuel these new plants?