Electric Light & Power articles from July 2000

Electric Light & Power archives from July 2000

Texas PUC appoints unprecedented watchdog for ratepayers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... In an unprecedented arrangement, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas has appointed an investment banker-advisor to oversee the issuance of almost $2 billion of transition bonds by the three largest Texas utility companies--Reliant...

Emissions concerns cloud coal's future, contemporary economy sunny.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... A study by Hill & Associates for GRI forecasts growth in coal demand for the electric utility industry, at least until 2015. The black shadow of emissions standards, although still a significant issue, will create little flux in price and...

BARGING SOUTH OF THE BORDER.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The Esperanza is the largest vessel of its type ever built in the U.S. and consists of a self-contained power plant capable of producing 124 MW, housed on a deck barge. Powered by seven 25,000 hp MAN B&W diesel engines, the power barge is owned...

Once pursued, now scorned.(problems arising from energy deregulation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... The honeymoon's over. Customers in the Northeast and in California have recently been stung by broken promises when their chosen energy service providers (ESPs) ditched them. As is so often the case in relationships gone sour, the main point of...

LETTERS.(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2000... Breaking the rules I read your article on the Entergy CEO, Mr. Wayne Leonard, with some confusion. It seems to me that to have a title with the word "integrity" and a highlighted quote next to a man's picture stating, "Any time we...

Shifting industry culture shouldn't foreshadow a battle of cowboys and indians.
July 1, 2000... Cultural change in the electric industry is not about ethnic foods, social orders or extra holidays--not exactly. It's about mindset: a "cultural" construct riddled with pitfalls and hidden snags. Navigating the maze of shifting from monopoly...

Alliant partners in Chicago merchant.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Alliant Energy Resources Inc., a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp. will partner with Corn Products International Inc. to build a 750 MW cogeneration merchant power plant, Argo Power LLC, near Chicago. Completion is slated for 2003.

Westinghouse wins contract.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Westinghouse Electric Co.'s nuclear services business unit has been awarded a contract for reactor pressure vessel inspection in October 2002 at the New York Power Authority's J.A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Station.

Entergy, Shaw join forces.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Entergy Corp. and the Shaw Group Inc. will create Entergy-Shaw, a new company to provide management, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services to build electric power plants. Entergy-Shaw is already planning the...

PG&E expands portfolio.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... PG&E Corp.'s National Energy Group signed a 14-year tolling agreement with Liberty Electric Power LLC, a subsidiary of Columbia Electric Corp. Under the contract terms, National Energy acquired long-term capacity rights at the 530 MW Liberty...

Toyota looks greener.
July 1, 2000... Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. will purchase renewable power from Green Mountain Energy. The agreement, one of the largest green energy contracts in California, is effective immediately and serves Toyota's U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Toyota...

RFC Capital closes deal.
July 1, 2000... RFC Capital Corp., a specialty finance company serving high-growth businesses in technology-driven and deregulated industries, will fund the revolving enterprise value loan to provide up to $15 million to ECONnergy Energy Co. ECONnergy plans to...

Oglethorpe and APM enter into agreement.
July 1, 2000... ACES Power Marketing LLC (APM) will provide Oglethorpe Power with energy trading and related risk management services, which include overseeing aspects of Oglethorpe's trading: negotiations, credit and contracts.

Enron to supply Prudential.
July 1, 2000... Enron Energy Services, a subsidiary of Enron Corp., signed a 10-year energy management agreement with Prudential Insurance of America. Enron will supply electricity and natural gas for Prudential's 21 corporate-owned office buildings in N.J.,...

PURPA Reform Group calls for repeal.
July 1, 2000... Members of the PURPA Reform Group were disappointed with draft electricity legislation (which doesn't include a repeal of the 22-year-old Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act) proposed by House Commerce Committee chairman Thomas S. Bliley....

Senator calls for mandated renewable.
July 1, 2000... Sen. Peter G. Fitzgerald, R-III., has proposed an amendment to the electric restructuring bill being examined by the Senate Energy Committee. It would require the federal government to buy at least 3 percent of its energy from renewable...

Pepco to sell generating assets.
July 1, 2000... Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco) will sell a large portion of its electric generating assets to Southern Energy Inc. for $2.65 billion. Pepco is already slated to receive $152.5 million for its interest in the Conemaugh station, making the...

Duke Energy IPO postponed.
July 1, 2000... Duke Energy Field Services (DEFS), a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp. and Phillips Petroleum Co., has postponed the initial public offering of common shares of the company because of volatile market conditions. Shares of DEFS will be offered to...

PNM shareholders approve new co.
July 1, 2000... Shareholders of Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) approved management's plan to create a new holding company with separate subsidiaries for the company's regulated utility operations and its competitive power generation and marketing...

Navigating the minefield of IPP regulatory risk.(independent power (IPP) industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The independent power (IPP) industry faces the highest dimension of political risk, regulatory uncertainty and market challenges over the next five years. A number of key market issues (driven by patterns of regulatory change) could impact the...

PECO Energy & Union Fenosa shine in EEI spotlight.
July 1, 2000... Montreal--Confidence in competition and excellence in embracing and succeeding in new markets are the respective hallmarks of PECO Energy Co., Philadelphia, and Union Fenosa, Madrid, Spain, named as winners of the Edison Award. The Edison...

Bush, Gore in heated volley over energy.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Once upon a time presidential hopeful Al Gore had this idea--a proposed 10-year plan, if you will. He wanted to offer tax breaks and financial assistance to power plants (and various other industries) in his potential kingdom. He believed that...

People & companies.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Utilities and associations Sithe Energies Inc. appointed Thomas Boehlert as chief financial officer and a senior vice president. Prior to joining Sithe, Boehlert worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in investment banking and project...

Survey touts Southern Company as "creme de la creme" in customer satisfaction.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The University of Michigan Business School recently released findings from its study rating the quality of goods and services in the United States with its American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a national economic indicator of customer...

Transmission management slowly evolves; incentives remain lacking.
July 1, 2000... Reliability--a topic of discussion in industry media, conferences and increasingly, even in the general public media. Generation, transmission and distribution are variously targeted as culprits or saviors, depending on the context of the...

DTE Energy tops growth targets; leverages energy technologies and expands business portfolio.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Exceeding its targeted growth rate in 1999, DTE Energy isn't complacently resting on its laurels. Its sights are set on successfully pushing into the future--striving to be one of the major energy players in the Great Lakes region. ...

Maximize transformer life with correct monitoring--and know what the results mean.
July 1, 2000... Many forms of instrumentation are utilized in the operation and maintenance of the modern utility. Information is knowledge and knowledge enables us to predict and control the processes and events that shape customer satisfaction and operating...

DOE proposal boosts fuel cell funding.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Energy's budget request for Fiscal Year 2001 (FY01) programs provides more than $100 million for fuel cell-related programs, including the following: * Stationary Fuel Cells--$42.2 million....

Agreement to simplify fuel cell systems.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Plug Power Inc. signed a joint development agreement with Axiva GmbH of Frankfurt, Germany, to develop a high temperature membrane electrode unit (MEU) that is expected to simplify Plug Power's residential fuel cell systems and decrease their...

Technology reduces [NO.sub.x].(Cheng Power Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Cheng Power Systems is patenting a new low [NO.sub.x] combustion technology associated with the steam-injected Cheng Cycle, which requires no catalysts, ammonia or other chemicals. In tests it has reduced [NO.sub.x] to 1-3 ppm with 15 percent...

American Superconductor nets co-developer.(Integrated Electronics L.L.C.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2000... American Superconductor acquired the assets of Integrated Electronics LLC, a Milwaukee-based private company, for shares of American Superconductor common stock and cash valued in aggregate at approximately $2 million. Integrated Electronics...

WESCO to provide for Con Edison.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... WESCO International Inc. will supply system-wide electrical products and materials that are procured through distribution for Con Edison and Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc. (O&R), two regulated utilities of Con Edison. The WESCO contract,...

Air Products supplying gases, equipment, services.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Air Products and Chemicals Inc. is providing PECO Energy's facilities' industrial gas and equipment requirements, including bulk and cylinder gases, specialty gases, calibration standards, EPA protocol gases and gas handling equipment. Air...

Babcock & Wilcox win scrubber order.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The Babcock & Wilcox Co., a subsidiary of McDermott International Inc., has been awarded a $27 million contract by Utility Engineering Corp. to supply vertical-flow dry scrubbers to Public Service Co. of Colorado for the utility's Cherokee and...

Cinergy completes controls upgrade.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Innovative Control Systems (ICS) completed a $5 million gas turbine control system upgrade project for Cinergy Corp. The PLC-based control systems with networked NT workstations for supervisory control (TC2000PLUS), were part of Cinergy's...

Space-age technologies advance weather risk management.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... It's a fact: Weather and temperature are the single largest variables affecting any energy company's bottom-line profitability and revenue. According to economists, weather affects an estimated 20 percent (about $2 trillion) of the nation's $9...

High oil, gas costs bite power customers.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... To compensate for higher fuel costs, customers of the Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) will experience an increase in the monthly fuel charge beginning with their July bill. Crude-oil and natural gas prices have increased significantly over...

Energy America contributes $100,000 to settle on slamming case.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Connecticut-based gas marketer Energy America recently settled a Georgia slamming case with the Public Service Commission, according to The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Though in a statement the company "neither admits nor denies...

NYMEX Selects Saladin for data anaylsis.(The New York Mercantile Exchange)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... The New York Mercantile Exchange, the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange, recently installed Saladin's PAWS, the energy industry-standard tool for historical data analysis, in its New York City headquarters' public information...

Enermetrix hits "Upside" as 'Hot 100' private company.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Maynard, Mass. Enermetrix recently won an UPSIDE Hot 100 Award in the "Business to Business" category. The company was one of 100 companies singled out by the editors of UPSIDE and an advisory panel comprised of venture capitalists, financial...

Gimmicks, giveaways and technologies that boost online consumer Web use.
July 1, 2000... You can hear the energy consumer pitches now: "Check us out, we've got a live Web site bird cam." "Hey, downloadable coupons with every sign-up." "The best offer in frequent flyer points." "Pssst, over here -- free trees." Like circus hawkers...

Orcom bills Santa, North Pole.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Orcom Solutions recently announced the implementation of its Enterprise Customer Information System at Golden Valley Electric Association, whose 2,250-square-mile service area includes the town of North Pole and Mt. McKinley, North America's...

Bringing energy e-commerce "Down Under".(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Excelergy Corp., a provider of 82B e-commerce technology, and Pricewater houseCoopers, the world's largest professional services organization, announced an alliance under which the two businesses will jointly market Excelergy eXACT* electronic...

ADB & Junot Form Alliance.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... ADB Systems, an e-procurement and enterprise asset management system vendor, and Junot Systems, an enterprise application integration vendor, have finalized a strategic alliance to facilitate the deployment and integration of ADB's B2B...

Central Hudson Webs up proofing, billing.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... AccuDocs, an electronic document solutions provider, recently announced an agreement to produce statements for 271,000 Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. customers in traditional paper and PDF formats. Central Hudson, a New York state gas and...

Anti-slamming verification hits Web.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... VoiceLog, a provider of third party verification services, recently announced the release of its Web interface for audio retrievals. The Web interface provides for analyzing and audio playback of third-party verification recordings over the...

More e-gateway solutions.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Coactive Networks, a provider of residential gateways for connecting the Internet to all devices in homes and businesses, has been selected by DTE Energy Technologies as the premier supplier of a complete gateway solution for delivering...

SCT eDash is Web ready.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... In June, SOT unveiled its latest Web-architected application, SCT eDash. The program collects and displays user-defined business data in a clear format to assist in the informed, daily decision-making process of executives and upper-level...

"Dr. Bean" takes customers live.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... PowerTrust.com, an Internet-based energy company, recently announced that it is using Sideware's Dr. Bean Java software for live customer service on its Web site at www.PowerTrust.com. Dr. Bean is an e-CRM software tool created by Sideware that...

Utilipro and UtilConnect hook up.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Utilipro Inc., a provider of outsourced back office services for the energy market, and Util-Connect Inc., an Atlanta-based application service provider focusing on Internet-native self-service and e-CRM solutions, will partner to offer...

ConneXt, Sierra systems partner.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... ConneXt, a Seattle-based developer of billing and customer care solutions, and Sierra Systems Group Inc., a consulting and systems integration firm, recently announced a partnership agreement to pursue joint marketing initiatives and other...

Retx.com partners with Canadian SaskTel for Web services.
July 1, 2000... Retx.com has formed a partnership with SaskTel to provide complete Internet-based e-business services to the retail energy industry. SaskTel, a Canadian communications company, has acquired a 49 percent share in Retx.com for an undisclosed...

All-in-one CyberBill.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... edocs BillDirect Internet billing and customer management software is set to deliver bills, statements and other customer account data to CyberBills' growing network including its consumer site, StatusFactory.com. CyberBills' Total Bill...

SFA: A fictional necessity to retain consumers.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Utilities have two reactions to sales force automation (SFA): confusion and fear. They know electricity, not sales. They're Benjamin Franklins, not P.T. Barnums. And SFA is overwhelming at first glance: an ambiguous, fire-breathing dragon of a...

Proper outsourcing bears sweet fruit.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Marketplace challenges are forcing utilities to reevaluate their business models and look for ways to decrease costs and focus on their core business. Outsourcing of non-core (but mission-critical) activities such as customer care and billing...

Software automatically notifies of power outage.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... American Innovations' (Al) AIM Notify and AIM Alert automatically notify users of power outage or restoration. AIM Alert is a stand-alone software solution that issues faxes or pages on reporting from Al's real-time power outage option. AIM...

LineSoft integrates T&D software with GIS.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... LineSoft Corp. has partnered with AM/FM/GIS suppliers to leverage the scope and integration of its LD-Pro program with the utilities' enterprise solutions. An automated power line design and optimization program combined in one package, LD-Pro...

DocuCorp enables Internet speed.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... DocuCorp International (a provider of document automation software, integration services and application service provider hosting) reveals a new e-Solutions family of software products that speed business applications over the Web, including...

OCM/GFI infuses capital.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... OCM/GFI Power Opportunities Fund L.P. agreed to a $26 million minority investment in LineSoft Corp. LineSoft will use the GFI investment to support the continued growth of the organization.

ABB to provide meter.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Portland General Electric (PGE) has agreed to purchase ABB Electricity Metering's EnergyAxis AMR server. The system provides the platform for meter data operations, storage and communications.

HE pioneers automatic external defibrillator use.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Ten years ago, a popular Maui Electric working foreman -- very well known to the mother company Hawaiian Electric -- accidentally made contact with a live 7200V underground line, which resulted in sudden cardiac arrest. Although trained in CPR,...

HANDLING PRESSURE.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... It's nothing new to hear that pressure is an integral part of your workday. It comes with the territory. There's a very good reason for this. By the very nature of a manager's work--decisions and people to be dealt with, elusive factors to...

CONTROLLING YOUR ANGER.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... There are lots of good reasons to blow your stack: silly errors, misunderstandings, crossed signals, plain stupidity. But there are even better reasons to keep your anger under control. For one thing, when you are angry you are apt to say or do...