Electric Light & Power articles from August 2003

Electric Light & Power archives from August 2003

Putting out the fire: can we quell the natural gas crisis? Part one of a two series.
August 1, 2003... This spring Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham declared that we were in the midst of a natural gas crisis. And, like a bizarre game of inter-media "telephone," this issue has grown by leaps and bounds. In a June article from The New York...

Letter from the publisher and editor.(commentary)(PennWell's Electric Light & Power magazine is offered in a new size )
August 1, 2003... As you can see, we've introduced Electric Light & Power in a new size this month. We've responded to readers' and advertisers' comments about wanting a more compact version of our magazine--making it easier to take along in a briefcase, more...

How can a utility improve operations, reduce costs, and enhance, customer satisfaction?(executive insights)
August 1, 2003... Today's competitive environment drives utilities to find new ways to: * Increase customer satisfaction through improved service reliability and quality, * Reduce operating costs while improving system performance, * Realize new...

It's all about the motion of the ocean: offshore energy shows promise.(executive insights)
August 1, 2003... Ocean energy and offshore wave energy conversion in the United States is at a significant milestone. During the next decade, ocean energy technology developers will deploy pilot scale ocean power plants and transition to commercial plants in...

AEP begins sale.(Project and contracts)(American Electric Power solicits bids for purchase of all generating assets of its AEP Texas Central Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... AEP begins sale: American Electric Power (AEP) is soliciting bids for the purchase of all the generating assets of its AEP Texas Central Co. subsidiary (formerly known as Central Power and Light). AEP has retained Credit Suisse First Boston LLC...

Sempra earns ranking.(Project and contracts)(Sempra Energy earns number five spot on Fortune magazine's prestigious annual list of "America's 50 Best Companies for Minorities)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Sempra earns ranking: Sempra Energy has earned the number five spot on Fortune magazine's prestigious annual list of "America's 50 Best Companies for Minorities." They have earned a top-five position on the list for six consecutive years, since...

Encorp enters Mexico.(Project and contracts)(Encorp signs agreement with Mexico City businessmen to provide power technology software and equipment for $80 mil entertainment complex )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Encorp enters Mexico: Encorp signed an agreement with Mexico City businessmen to provide power technology software and equipment valued at $870,000 for an $80 million entertainment complex in the capital city. The complex will be supported by a...

Office Depot signs deal.(Project and contracts)(Strategic Energy announced two multi-year deals with Office Depot to supply electricity to locations in Michigan and Ohio)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Office Depot signs deal: Strategic Energy announced two multi-year agreements with Office Depot to supply electricity to locations in Michigan and Ohio. Financials were not disclosed.

Entergy selected to manage.(Project and contracts)(Entergy Nuclear negotiates management services agreement with Nebraska Public Power District to provide management to Cooper Nuclear Station)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Entergy selected to manage: Entergy Nuclear is negotiating a management services agreement with Nebraska Public Power District to provide management to Cooper Nuclear Station. No further details were released.

Big Apple terminates deal.(Project and contracts)(Big Apple Energy ends deal with NuEnergy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Big Apple terminates deal: Big Apple Energy has provided written notice to NuEnergy Group that it has withdrawn from the letter of agreement and memorandum of understanding for the business combination announced in June. Big Apple points the...

Catamount quits wind farm.(Project and contracts)(Equinox Wind Partners)(Catamount Energy Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Catamount quits wind farm: Equinox Wind Partners, a joint venture between Endless Energy Corp. of Yarmouth, Maine, and Catamount Energy Corp. of Rutland, Vermont, formed to develop a 9 MW wind energy project on Little Equinox Mountain in...

Conversant.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Conversant: Phillip M. Duncan has joined as vice president of product development.

American Public Power Assn.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... American Public Power Assn.: Glenn Cannon, general manager for Waverly Light and Power, was named chair of the board of directors.

U.S. Energy Systems.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... U.S. Energy Systems: Thomas J. Noonan is vice president and chief accounting officer. Frank Fitzgerald is vice president and treasurer.

Georgia Power.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Georgia Power: C.B. Harreld has been named chief financial officer.

Edison Electric Institute.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Edison Electric Institute: Allen Franklin, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, was elected chairman.

Westinghouse.(Executive appointments)(Westinghouse Electric Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Westinghouse: Robert Bonner is vice president of customer relations and sales for Russia and Eastern Europe.

Wisconsin Energy Corp.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Wisconsin Energy Corp: Allen L. Leverett has been named chief financial officer.

TVA.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... TVA: Michael E. Rescoe is chief financial officer and executive vice president of financial services.

Calpine.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Calpine: Susan Wang has been appointed to the board of directors and audit committee.

Constellation Generation Group.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Constellation Generation Group: Peter Katz has been named senior vice president.

Allegheny Energy.(Executive appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Allegheny Energy: Paul J. Evanson has been elected chairman, president and CEO,

NEI.(Executive appointments)
August 1, 2003... NEI: Clint Williamson is director of legislative programs.

Retail dies again.(Legal and regulatory)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Retail dies again: A California Senate energy committee has voted down Assembly Bill 428 that would have restarted retail electric choice in the state by 2005, Consideration of another bill to restore electric choice, Assembly Bill 816, has...

FERC upholds contract.(Legal and regulatory)(United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... FERC upholds contract: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has found no evidence to support a challenge filed in Feb. 2002 by the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Electricity Oversight Board against a Sempra Energy...

BPA rates could increase.(Legal and regulatory)(Bonneville Power Administration)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BPA rates could increase: The Bonneville Power Administration estimates its wholesale power rates could go up approximately five percent over current rates for the next three years, beginning Oct. 1. (They had originally estimated 15 percent...

Dynegy settles.(Legal and regulatory)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Dynegy settles: Dynegy Inc. has reached an agreement with the Kroger Co. related to four power supply contracts. The agreement, which must be FERC-approved, would see Kroger paying Dynegy $110 million to terminate two contracts and restructure...

Montana sues.(Legal and regulatory)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Montana sues: Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath has filed suit against several energy companies doing business in the West, claiming that energy consumers in his state were defrauded out of millions paid in excessive rates during and since...

Mirant goes bankrupt.(Legal and regulatory)(Mirant)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Mirant goes bankrupt: Mirant has filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Additionally, certain of the company's Canadian subsidiaries will file an application for creditor protection under the...

Companies to fund venture.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Companies to fund venture: Carl C. Icahn and Panda Energy International have signed a joint venture to co-fund Panda Acquisitions Group, which will actively seek to purchase U.S. energy assets and related infrastructure,

Allegheny completes sale.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Allegheny Energy Supply Conemaugh L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Allegheny completes sale: Allegheny Energy Supply Conemaugh LLC has completed the sale of its 83 MW share of the coal-fired Conemaugh Generating Station to UGI Development Co. for about $51.25 million.

TECO completes purchase.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... TECO completes purchase: TECO Power Services has completed the previously announced purchase of Panda Energy's interest in both the Union Power Station (Arkansas) and the Gila River Power Station (Arizona).

Cargill buys Mirant interest.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Cargill buys Mirant interest: Cargill Ltd. has completed the acquisition of Mirant's Canadian natural gas aggregator services contracts, much of its natural gas transportation contracts and some of its storage contracts.

Synex acquires Wolverine.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Synex Energy Resources)(Wolverine Power)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Synex acquires Wolverine: Synex International Inc.'s subsidiary Synex Energy Resources has acquired the assets of Wolverine Power Corp., comprising four hydroelectric facilities in Michigan under a foreclosure procedure. They are negotiating...

Controversy. It's said to sell magazines but repel advertisers.(Letters to the Editor)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... That's why business-to-business publications without paid circulation typically print puff pieces that could just as well appear in your local birdcage liner ("Partners Open New Tire Store!"). They exist to sell advertising, not be relevant to...

DG on the demand-side of the meter.(Letters to the Editor)(Distributed generation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Your EL&P research series, "Distributed generation survey translates into a tale of three market makers" [June 2003], not only highlighted the different market approaches to DG, but also underscored the differences between the market-driven...

How to proactively and profitably manage credit accounts.(finance)
August 1, 2003... Dealing with assessing delinquent accounts can be challenging for a utility company. However, there is a way for credit and collection managers at utility companies to assess risk, manage current delinquent accounts, and resolve final bill...

Exclusive to EL&P: energy utility indices finish strong second quarter. All indices at 12-month highs.(finance)
August 1, 2003... While growth in each of The C Three Group's Energy Utility Indices slowed some in the month of June, the mid-point in the year (through July 11) has all of the indices resting at 12-month highs. The Merchant Energy Index leads the pack, up...

New CHP opportunities abound--with lower capital investment, less risk and greater flexibility.(industry report)(Combined heat and power, i.e., cogeneration )
August 1, 2003... Call it a tale of two companies. Company A and Company B compete in the same light process industry and manage three-shift operations. By coincidence, managers at both firms decide to evaluate combined heat and power (CHP), also known as...

Chicago climate exchange announces start of trading.(electric & gas trading)
August 1, 2003... Chicago Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) reached another milestone in its development of the greenhouse gas emissions market as it set the opening date for trading. CCX also announced that IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) has been contracted...

Energy companies remedy trade data reporting.(electric & gas trading)
August 1, 2003... Washington, D.C. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has accepted 11 energy companies' account of their internal remedies for reporting natural gas trading data. The July 23 move is part of the commission's ongoing market...

Overseas and domestic natural gas projects compete for U.S. investment.(electric & gas trading)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Boston If the U.S. government wants to contain the migration of investment efforts overseas, or if it wants to limit national dependence on LNG imports, it can provide incentives to investment by either lifting restrictions on undeveloped...

Energy software solutions.(Knowmadic offers new suite of solutions designed for the energy wholesale, distribution and retail markets)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Knowmadic, Santa Clara, Calif., unveiled a new suite of solutions designed for the energy wholesale, distribution and retail markets and Knowmadic Foundation 5, its core delivery platform. These solutions enable deployment on a...

Banks to pay nearly $300M in Enron fine.
August 1, 2003... JP Morgan will pay $135M and Citigroup will pay $101M to the Securities and Exchange Commission, settling charges they helped Enron create complex financial transactions designed to beef up reported cash flow and hide debt.

Proposed NSR rules spell relief for maintenance projects.(generation)(New Source Review)
August 1, 2003... Since the mid 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required permitting for construction and modification projects that would result in significant increases in air pollutant emissions under the New Source Review (NSR) permitting...

Wisconsin Energy breaks ground.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Wisconsin Energy Corp. has begun construction on the Port Washington Generating Station. The $640 million project will have two 500 MW units, with the first unit to be ready for service in 2005.

Framatome to supply heads.(Framatome ANP will provide Florida Power & Light Co. with supply replacement reactor vessel closure heads for four nuclear power generating units)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Framatome ANP has signed a contract with Florida Power & Light Co. to supply replacement reactor vessel closure heads for its four nuclear power generating units.

Avista, SiGEN sign agreement.(Collaborative agreement for the development of fuel cell systems )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Avista Labs and SiGEN have entered into a collaborative agreement for the development of fuel cell systems and product sales, making Avista Labs fuel cells available to the UK market.

EPRI to develop interconnection.(Electric Power Research Institute )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is working on an interconnection device for two-way power flow that would allow distributed resources to hook to the grid. Know as GridGateway, the concept builds upon a platform originally...

Duke, Fluor kill partnership.(Will end 14-year-old Duke/Fluor Daniel power contracting partnership )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Duke Energy Corp. and Fluor Corp. will end their 14-year-old Duke/Fluor Daniel power contracting partnership because of decline in demand for power plant construction. The plan will dissolve the business over the next two years. Fluor chairman...

Hamon Research-Cottrell awarded contract.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hamon Research-Cottrell has been awarded a contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of an electrostatic precipitator for Sandia National Laboratories to clean the exhaust gases from the combustion test facilities. The...

GE inherits wind.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... GE Wind Energy and Irish renewable energy company Airtricity plan to develop a 25 MW wind farm in the Irish Sea, The project will feature seven of GE Wind Energy's new 3.6 MW wind turbines. Commercial service is anticipated by the end of this...

Lovers of the Conn. mercury law unite.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Environmental groups Clean Water Action, the Connecticut Coalition for Clean Air and the Clean Air Task Force, along with PSEG Power, have released a statement congratulating the Connecticut General Assembly for enacting stringent new mercury...

Dominion Energy puts plant into operation.(Combined-cycle unit )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Dominion Energy placed a 550 MW, combined-cycle unit into commercial operation this July at its Possum Point Power Station in Northern Virginia. Dominion began construction of the $370 million project in April 2000.

Power Maintenance wins contract.(Power Maintenance Resources is chosen by Vogt Power Inc. to provide major field services at Portland General Electric's Beaver Generating Station in Oregon)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Power Maintenance Resources has been selected by Vogt Power Inc. to provide major field services at Portland General Electric's Beaver Generating Station in Oregon. Financials on the contract were not disclosed.

Taking on mercury emissions.(CH2M Hill and ADA Technologies Inc. form Amended Silicates LLC)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CH2M HILL and ADA Technologies Inc. have formed Amended Silicates LLC to commercialize an advanced sorbent technology to control mercury emissions from coal-burning plants. CH2M HILL has agreed to a $2 million initial commitment.

Black Hills announces sale.(Black Hills Corp. will sell ownership interests in seven hydroelectric power plants)
August 1, 2003... Black Hills Corp. has entered into an agreement to sell its ownership interests in seven hydroelectric power plants in upstate New York to affiliates of Boralex Inc. for approximately $186 million. The aggregate cash purchase price will be used...

Avista, Mirant cut ribbon on new plant.(Combined-cycle combustion Coyote Springs 2 power plant)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Avista Corp. and Mirant announced the commercial operation of the 280 MW, combined-cycle combustion Coyote Springs 2 power plant, developed jointly by the two companies. Avista and Mirant will share the plant's output equally, Construction on...

Peerless announces order.(Peerless Manufacturing Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Peerless Manufacturing Co. has received a multi-million dollar order to supply selective catalytic reduction systems at a natural gas-fired peaking power station in Pasadena, California. Shipment and installation of these systems will be...

BTU licenses software.(Power Costs licensed PCI GenTrader to Bryan Texas Utilities )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Power Costs Inc., a provider of asset optimization software, has licensed PCI GenTrader to Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU),

Black & Veatch gets LADWP contract.(Black & Veatch's Global Renewable Energy Group gets 3-year contract from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power)
August 1, 2003... Black & Veatch's Global Renewable Energy Group has been awarded a three-year contract by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to support the expansion of its renewable energy resources. The company is already involved in...

How to assess transmission line security.(transmission & distribution)
August 1, 2003... The electricity sector has traditionally developed and executed service restoration plans to mitigate the effects of widespread outages caused by weather, other natural disasters, equipment failure and vandalism. Now these plans need to be...

AMR industry focuses on customer market.(transmission & distribution)(Automatic meter reading )
August 1, 2003... San Jose, Calif. Widely accepted large end-use customer metering and for reading hard-to-access meters, automatic meter reading (AMR) solutions are now trying to capture the smaller end-use customer market. The increased interest in...

Con Edison launches electrifying kids site.(information technology customer systems)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New York Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. (Con Edison) has launched "Con Edison Kids," a creative and entertaining Web site that introduces a number of energy-related concepts to children of all ages. The Web site is part of an...

New technologies make big contributions to the deregulated power industry.(information technology customer systems)
August 1, 2003... Our country's need for high-quality and reliable energy is emphasized by today's information economy. Computer technology will create ever-increasing demands on existing power lines and production facilities. All the while, deregulation,...

How do you look to your boss?(management methods)
August 1, 2003... You know your job. You're ambitious. our company is growing. Your prospects look very good indeed. Don't kid yourself. Most people do their work well. They too are conscientious, competent, cooperative. In the world of business, being...

Primer on effects of lightning on electrical T&D.(power pointers)
August 1, 2003... What causes lightning? Thunderclouds form when the upper atmosphere contains cold, dense air and the lower atmosphere contains warm, moist air. As the warm air rises, the moisture condenses to form clouds, and the cold air descends. As the...

Calendar events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... AUGUST 17-20 Energy 2003: Real Word Real Solutions U.S. Department of Energy (800/395-8574) www.energy2003.ee.doe.govl Orlando 18-20 2003 EPRI Int'l Maintenance Conf. Electric Power Research Institute ...