Electric Light & Power articles from August 2001

Electric Light & Power archives from August 2001

No crybabies allowed!(bank enthusiasm to finance new facilities may signal end to energy crisis)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... When even stodgy, conservative banks think the country's power markets are going to thrive, it's time for the hand-wringing and nail-biting over fallout from the California debacle to cease. Forty banks--yes, that's right, 40--couldn't wait...

InterGen takes on the Calif. crisis.(new facility running)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... InterGen's 90 MW Larkspur Energy Facility is up and running in San Diego. The Larkspur plant is one of two InterGen facilities that comprise the Wildflower Energy Project, some of the first plants to be licensed under the California Energy...

Calpine wants to add Calif. MW.(Calpine Corp. awaits California Energy Commission approval for power plant construction)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Calpine Corp. said it is ready to begin building a "hotly-debated" power plant in the heart of California's Silicon Valley as early as this fall, if state officials give it the go-ahead. A committee of the California Energy Commission has...

PNM to energize TNMP.(Public Service Company of New Mexico signs Texas-New Mexico Power agreement)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP) and Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) have signed a long-term wholesale power contract, which runs from July 1, 2001 through Dec. 31, 2006. PNM will provide varying amounts of firm power to TNMP through...

CONSOL's got the coal.(CONSOL Energy Inc. acquires American Electric Power affiliate mining companies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... CONSOL Energy Inc. has completed the purchase of American Electric Power's (AEP) affiliate mining companies in Ohio and West Virginia. As part of the agreement, AEP will enter into coal supply arrangements with CONSOL to purchase approximately...

Tenaska, Kiowa to build Okla. plant.(Kiowa Power Partners L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Tenaska Inc. and Kiowa Power Partners LLC began construction on the Kiamichi Energy Facility in early July. The 1,250 MW natural gas-fueled plant will be located in Pittsburgh County south of Kiowa and should be operational in 2003.

Southeast transmission line owners to form RTO.(regional transmission organization)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Eleven owners of transmission systems across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina reported signing a memorandum of understanding to develop a regional transmission organization (RTO) for the Southeast. A formal filing with...

Xcel gets exemption.(Xcel Energy receives Minnesota Environmental Quality Board exemption)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Xcel Energy has been granted an exemption from the routing process normally associated with building transmission lines in Minn. The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board found no significant impacts associated with Xcel's proposed replacement...

Indiana to cut [NO.sub.x].(Indiana Air Pollution Control Board)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Nitrogen oxide emissions from fossil-fueled power plants are expected to decline 66 percent by May 2004 in Indiana, under a new emissions trading system adopted by the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board. The rule, which is subject to EPA...

BPA to increase rates.(Bonneville Power Administration)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The wholesale rates of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will increase by 46 percent on October 1. BPA spokesmen said that load-reduction agreements with Northwest power purchasers averted a possible 250 percent increase. BPA said it...

Mirant's CEO Marce Fuller looks beyond California.(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
August 1, 2001... In an exclusive interview with EL&P, Marce Fuller, CEO and president, discussed Mirant's U.S. operations, including its business approach in California. At press time, Mirant was one of the generating companies involved in the ongoing...

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... American Electric Power: Julio Reyes is the new Texas state president, replacing Alphonso Jackson, who is now deputy secretary of housing and urban development under the Bush administration. CES International: Jeff Chapman has been named...

Wisc. Energy, IPPs take tussle over new MW to the mat.(Midwest Independent Power Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... When Wisconsin Energy (WE) introduced Power the Future 2 (PTF-2), a plan that would set aside $3 billion (of a total $7 billion plan) to construct 2,800 MW of new generation in the state, the Midwest Independent Power Suppliers (MWIPS) cried...

EEl predicts $21B shortfall in transmission investment.(Edison Electric Institute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Nearly $56 billion in new capacity is needed in the next 10 years to maintain U.S. transmission adequacy at its current level, but only about $35 billion is planned, an electric industry group said. Transmission capacity relative to peak...

SDG&E blackout info on the bill.(San Diego Gas & Electric)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has begun publishing specific blackout information on its bills to give advance warning. The outage block and circuit numbers will be listed in bold type in the middle of the bill. SDG&E is also launching an...

eBidenergy achieves New York certification.(to be a meter data service provider)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... eBidenergy Inc. has completed its meter data service provider (MDSP) certification. The Public Service Commission of New York recently began allowing electricity customers to contract with MDSPs as an alternative to the traditional utility. The...

Web site provides off-grid info.(Xantrex Technology Inc. introduces website)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Xantrex Technology Inc. has created a Web. site to help consumers generate power independently (www.traceoffgrid.com). The Web site allows users to calculate the amount of electricity needed for various applications so they can determine which...

FP&L teams with BellSouth, First Union.(Florida Power and Light Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Florida Power & Light Co. (FP&L) has partnered with BellSouth and First Union to create FPL E-Bill, a service which allows customers to use their bank, financial software or other financial institutions' service to review and pay FP&L bills...

MANAGEMENT METHODS.(time management, fact finding)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... RX FOR PROCRASTINATION If you surveyed any 10, 100, or 1000 people as to their favorite day of the week, the hands down winner would undoubtedly be "tomorrow." That's when that big project will be started, the old one finished, the...

Deregulation ignites flurry of asset transactions.(electric utilities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Deregulation of the electricity industry has spawned unprecedented asset transfer activity among electric generating companies. Many companies are focusing on generation, while a large number of former generating companies are shifting their...

Five elements to look for in a financing partner.(electric utilites)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 1, 2001... Due to energy reduction mandates, federal agencies want and need energy-efficient technologies as well as infrastructure modernization solutions from utilities. But with operating and maintenance costs continually rising--and budgets and...

MCR Energy INDEX debuts.(MCR Performance Solutions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Energy companies can compare their estimated earnings growth to peer group companies using MCR Performance Solutions' INDEX. The INDEX (found at www.mcr-group.com) divides gas and electric utilities into three groups (merchant/marketer;...

Natsource partners with LEAP.(LEAP Energy Fund L.P.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Natsource LLC, broker of energy related products, will partner with LEAP Energy Fund LP, a venture capital fund focused on investing in private North American alternative energy companies. The fund will seek to broaden market opportunities for...

American National Power refinances merchant portfolio.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... International law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy was involved in the refinancing of six independent merchant power projects owned by affiliates of ANP, the U.S. subsidiary of the U.K.'s International Power. The syndicate of commercial...

GE backs transmission business.(GE Capital Services Structured Finances Group buys stake in Trans-Elect)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... GE Capital Services Structured Finances Group bought a minority stake in Trans-Elect, a two-year-old independent transmission company based in Washington, D.C. In February, Trans-Elect offered more than $5 billion for transmission lines owned...

Power networking technology gains $5.5M investment.(Sixth Dimension Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Sixth Dimension Inc., Fort Collins, Colo., provider of network communications and control technology for the power industry, received $5.5 million in investment funding from EnerTech Capital, RockMountain Ventures and others. The company plans...

Severon receives $16.5M financing.(Severon Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Severon Corp., Bend, Ore., received financing totaling $16.5M for growth of their turnkey equipment and services to monitor generation, transmission and distribution substation equipment. Nth Power Technologies, San Francisco, served as lead...

Kemper Insurance partners with Aquila.(Aquila Inc. and Aquila Re Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Kemper Insurance Companies, Aquila Inc. and its affiliate Aquila Re Ltd., joined together, to market and underwrite products that protect buyers or sellers of electric power. Kemper's Power Generation Protection provides insurance that...

Tax issues could derail (or pave) plant construction.(Brief Article)(Column)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2001... With the combination of spotty deregulation and national economic uncertainty looming, tax issues in the industry are less of a uniform American trend. In fact, issues dealing with the hindrance or assistance of power plant construction are...

Financing utility projects in today's international markets.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2001... The energy sector in the developed countries of Europe and the United States has entered an era of slower growth. Deregulation is partly responsible for significant changes. While slower growth may be the situation in the developed world,...

Metering, communications and computing for price-responsive demand programs.
August 1, 2001... Competitive wholesale electric power markets today can be likened to the sound of one hand clapping. They are often inefficient and not fully competitive, in part because retail-customer loads do not participate in these markets. Although...

Utilities take e-procurement to the grassroots.(private markets)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The World Wide Web is experiencing a grassroots renaissance in the utility industry. While limitless connectivity appeared to hold limitless value for commerce, communication, and community, in setting limits, the utility industry is reaping...

NHSS works for Bruce.(New Horizon System Solutions signs Bruce Power contract)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Under a new six-year contract, New Horizon System Solutions (NHSS), a joint venture of Ontario Power Generation and an affiliate of the Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Group, will manage and operate information technology services for Bruce Power,...

Praxis' new GenGauge saves.
August 1, 2001... Praxis Engineers expanded its product line for coal-fired utilities with a new software package, GenGauge, which provides real-time and projected coal quality, heat rate and cost information, leverages existing third-party software packages and...

LADWP goes mobile.(Los Angeles Department of Water and Power signs M3i Systems Inc. agreement)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... M3i Systems Inc. will provide Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LAD WP) with the M3i PragmaCAD Mobile Workforce Management and outage management modules. This integration will automating LADWP's Power Distribution fleet services and...

EnWin tackles competition.(EnWin Utilities Ltd. implements SPL WorldGroup B.V. customer management product)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SPL WorldGroup B.V. (SPL), reported that EnWin Utilities Ltd. (EnWin) successfully implemented SPL's customer management product for the municipal market as part of the company's plans to meet the complex unbundling requirements created by the...

Enerwise completes spin-off.(Enerwise Global Technologies completes spinoff from Conectiv Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Enerwise Global Technologies, a major provider of enterprise-wide energy intelligence and managed energy services for domestic and international corporations, completed its spin-off from Conectiv Inc. Enerwise Global Technologies addresses the...

Pantellos membership grows.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Five new buyer members have joined the Pantellos neutral marketplace of more than 100 global buyers and suppliers. New buyer members include: Alliant Energy Corp., The Bonneville Power Administration, JEA (fomerly Jacksonville Electric...

Clark deploys Itron AMR.(Clark Public Utilities contracts Itron Inc. to provide automated meter reading system)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... Itron Inc. signed with Clark Public Utilities, electricity supplier to more than 150,000 customers in southwest Washington state, to provide technology to automate meter data collection. Installation of the $10 million meter reading system is...

AGL networks breaks ground.(AGL Networks L.L.C. begins work on fiber network in Atlanta, Georgia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... AGL Networks LLC began construction on its first metropolitan fiber network in Atlanta to serve critical points of contact within Atlanta's Central Business District and more. Through subsidiaries and partnerships, AGL Resources holding company...

Enporion collects with MobShop.(technology for demand aggregation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Enporion's procurement e-marketplace has aggregated a total of $31 million in delinquent consumer debt from three different utility companies using MobShop Inc.'s patent pending technology for demand aggregation. The first of-its-kind event is...

JEA signs SchlumbergerSema.(announces information technology services agreement)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SchlumbergerSema executed a 15-year agreement to provide information technology services to JEA of Jacksonville, Florida. SchlumbergerSema will provide energy consumption data and advanced information services to JEA by connecting one hundred...

e-Commerce reaches cooling towers.(BDT Engineering launches e-commerce site)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... BDT Engineering launched the industry's first e-commerce site for cooling towers and cooling tower parts: www.towerparts.com, provided by Ceramic Cooling Tower Corp., a subsidiary of BDT Engineering located in Fort Worth, TX. The site enables...

OKAMLogic connects voices.(speech recognition tools for mobile field workers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... OKAMLogic, a technology start-up company based in Halifax, entered the high-growth market of wireless voice-enabled solutions with the development of speech recognition tools for mobile field workers. OKAMLogic seeks to capitalize on the market...

NRG gets remote control.(Turbine Technology Services to supply automated control system for Cabrillo Power II L.L.C. gas turbines)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Turbine Technology Services (TTS), a Sermatech company, will engineer, fabricate and install a remote monitoring and control system for 18 gas turbines over several sites throughout the San Diego metropolitan area. Operators will be able to...

Digital economy forces PQ to top-of-mind status.(power quality)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... Although power system reliability concerns dominated headlines this summer, power quality is an issue also achieving top-of-mind status among utilities and the commercial and industrial customers they serve. Microprocessor-based equipment used...

EPRI suggests technological cures to power ills.(Electric Power Research Institute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... In a recently released paper, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has presented a number of "concrete and actionable" technical recommendations to help solve the power crisis that began in California and now involves the 11-state...

Square D unveils Web site.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Square D, a distributor of electrical distribution automation products and services, has launched a new Web site intended to better serve customer needs. Driven by customer feedback, the site is designed to deliver technical information with...

Invensys Flow Control Americas formed.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Invensys has established a new brand representing the union of several valve, actuator and associated flow control product manufacturers. Invensys Flow Control Americas (IFCA) will act as a single-source provider of flow control solutions in...

NMC selects Sargent & Lundy.(Nuclear Management Co., design engineering services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Nuclear Management Company (NMC) has selected Sargent & Lundy as a preferred supplier of design engineering services. Under the contract, Sargent & Lundy will perform a variety of plant and engineering services for each of the stations...

New group to serve IPPs.(SEL Industrial Solutions Group, independent power producers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, a supplier of electric power protection, control and monitoring systems, has formed the SEL Industrial Solutions Group to meet the needs of non-utility electric power, including independent power producers....

Alliant cuts [NO.sub.x] in half.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Alliant Energy has cut nitrogen oxide ([NO.sub.x]) output in half at the ML Kapp Power Station in Clinton, Iowa, the first plant to participate in Alliant's Combustion Initiative program. In winter 1999, the facility had a [NO.sub.x] emissions...

Features added to Outage Optimizer.(GE Power Systems adds new online services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... GE Power Systems has added functionality to the new version of its Outage Optimizer, an online tool for outage planning and asset optimization. New features include the ability to copy, revise and review a previous outage plan; a history tab,...

Managing POLR risk prevents cash crunch.(Provider of Last Resort)
August 1, 2001... Utilities in states with customer choice are poised to forego over $12 billion in shareholder value as a direct result of taking a passive role in developing retail markets. Given the frictions of the transition to a truly competitive...

NewPower adds customers.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The New Power Co. entered into an agreement to acquire approximately 17,000 residential and small commercial natural gas customers, adding to the 150,000 it serves in Ohio. NewPower acquired the customers in the Columbia Gas of Ohio service...

FEA upgrades.(Financial Engineering Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Financial Engineering Associates Inc. (FEA), released the latest edition of MakeVC 2.2, software for generating volatility and correlation forecasts for risk analysis and portfolio management, and @INTEREST 4.0, for pricing, hedging, and risk...

Partners prop PTX.(private trading exchanges)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Altra Energy Technologies Inc., provider of electronic trading services, transaction management software and e-business solutions to the energy industry, and @TheMoment Inc., supplier of dynamic trading solutions for Global 2000 corporations,...

e-Acumen introduces graphics.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... e-Acumen added to its online decision support product AcuPower, a Web-based power forecasting solution, with the AcuPower Trader Console, a new extension providing power traders concise information using graphics--maps and color codes within a...

U.S. agency seeks fine for fatal blast.(division of Department of Transportation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A division of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking a $2.52 million civil penalty against an El Paso Corp. unit for safety violations that led to a natural gas pipeline explosion in New Mexico in August 2000 that killed 12...

Williams plans to expand pipeline.(Northwest Pipeline system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Williams plans an expansion project on its Northwest Pipeline system that will deliver 276 MMcfd of gas to new electric generation facilities in Washington state. The Evergreen Expansion Project is Williams' fourth major pipeline project in...

Customers balk at jumping ship, cost and red tape to blame.(restructuring of power marketplace)
August 1, 2001... Market competition remains a spoil promised by the deregulation soldiers in the rash of restructuring skirmishes across the country, from the bloody battleground of California to the cease-fire calm of Pennsylvania. The cry to open markets is...

CallVision and BillServ form alliance.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... CallVision, a provider of e-billing and related eCRM (customer care) services to the telecommunications industry, announced an alliance with Billserv, Inc., an electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) outsourced solutions provider. The...