Electric Light & Power articles from June 2003

Electric Light & Power archives from June 2003

EL&P research series: distributed generation survey translates into tale of three market makers: equipment/service suppliers are fast out of the gate; utilities take wait and see approach.
June 1, 2003... EL&P introduces the first of its exclusive research series planned to provide the most up-to-date perspectives on various industry "hot topics? for our readers. Distributed generation (DG) was the subject of this survey recently conducted...

Utilities moving forward with a more conservative approach.
June 1, 2003... According to the press material sent with PricewaterhouseCoopers' new study, "the strength of global utilities in the future will be built upon vertically-integrated strategies, rather than the pursuit of multi-utility and specialized...

Distributed generation--up close and personal. .
June 1, 2003... Our cover feature this month introduces EL&P's new research series. We're excited about our plans to deliver exclusive, relevant research and survey results to our readers over the next year. The research series complements EL&P's already...

Letter to the Editor.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... The highest compliment I typically inflict MOX fuel-related articles upon my wife, whose opinion I value very much. She said that your recent article was the best-written MOX fuel-related article she has read (and she has seen quite a...

Internal auditing: a safety net for those at the top. (This Month Online).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Shareholders and other stakeholders of American businesses have had a rough ride the past few years. For that matter, so have those at the top of their organizations. A seemingly endless succession of financial frauds has cast public doubt on...

Global climate change a la Bush. (This Month Online).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The global climate change debate evokes heated passion from observers who emphasize that we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and that the Republican Bush administration has shunned its corresponding obligations. Other...

Taking a crack at revenue robbers: utilities use AMR to detect theft. (News).
June 1, 2003... Many automated meter reading (AMR) vendors promote their systems' abilities to detect tampering and some utilities have, in fact, attributed thousands--or even millions--of dollars to increased revenue from improved tamper detection. But when...

Native tribes poised to benefit from energy expansion. (News).
June 1, 2003... According to attorney Karen Atkinson, here are a number of opportunities available for American Indian tribes to reap advantages from partnerships with energy companies. Atkinson, senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs,...

Benefit of counsel: repeal PUHCA now. (News).(Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 )
June 1, 2003... The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA), a depression era law, discourages investments in electric and natural gas companies by firms with the cash and credit needed to revive the industry. PUHCA is redundant and obsolete; its...

InoVision. (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... InoVision is the proven solution for utility companies seeking to remove zero-valued debt from their bottom lines. They've helped leading utility companies across the nation convert dormant bad debt into instant cash without sacrificing quality...

MasterCard. (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Through-deregulation, federal and state government reforms and rising competition, utilities are faced with tough challenges. Accepting MasterCard cards can be an important component in achieving both your financial and customer service goals....

Mitsubishi Power Systems'. (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Mitsubishi Power Systems' dedicated Americas Service Center brings a "world of service" a half-world closer. Discover our new in-hemisphere resource for OEM-style turbine repair and. component manufacturing; remote monitoring and...

Alliance Data Systems. (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Alliance Data Systems is a leading provider of outsourced billing and customer care solutions in the energy industry, serving millions of utility customers across North America. Our core customers transaction management solutions facilitate...

Day & Zimmermann NPS (DZNPS). (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Day & Zimmermann NPS (DZNPS) is one of the nation's leading union labor contractors dedicated exclusively to performing full-service maintenance and modifications at nuclear and fossil-fired power plants. Multi-site, system-wide contracts are a...

Panasonic Toughbooks[R]. (Products & Services Showcase).
June 1, 2003... The success of energy and utility companies relies on maximizing their ability to exploit every opportunity--getting more done with fewer resources in extreme environments. It's important that your equipment is up to the challenge. That's why...

Aggreko. (Products & Services Showcase).(Provides rental power, temperature control and compressed air systems )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Aggreko provides rental power, temperature control and compressed air systems to companies around the world. We help customers increase profits by creating opportunities, solving problems and reducing risk using our unique network of global...

Itron. (Products & Services Showcase).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... With more than 2,000 utility clients worldwide, Itron is the leading technology provider and source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries for collecting, analyzing, and applying electric, gas and water usage data. Itron's...

Bechtel wins Iraq contract. (Projects and Contracts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Bechtel has been selected by the U.S. Agency for International Development to participate in the design, rehabilitation, upgrading, reconstruction and construction of Iraq's infrastructure, which includes power, water and wastewater work. The...

Navigant, Sapient partner. (Projects and Contracts).(Navigant Consulting Inc. and Sapient)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Navigant Consulting Inc., a specialized consulting firm, and Sapient, a business and technology consultancy, have formed a global alliance to help energy clients achieve bottom-line business improvement, according to the two companies. The...

High Desert begins commercial operation. (Projects and Contracts).(Constellation Energy Group adds 830 MW to California's power supply as High Desert Power Project starts up)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Constellation Energy Group added 830 MW to California's power supply as the High Desert Power Project in Victorville began commercial operation. Built at the former George Air Force Base, the High Desert plant is designed to use one-third less...

Comverge signs contract with PacifiCorp. (Projects and Contracts).(Virtual peaking capacity megawatt contract )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Comverge Inc. recently signed a long-term virtual peaking capacity megawatt contract with PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of ScottishPower. Under the contract, Comverge will market, own and operate a residential air conditioning load management...

Calpine sells interest. (Mergers and Acquisitions).(GE Structured Finance buys preferred interest in subsidiary that leases and operates 115 MW King City power plant from Calpine Corp)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... GE Structured Finance has purchased a preferred interest in a subsidiary that leases and operates the 115 MW King City power plant from Calpine Corp. The interest, which approximates 60 percent based on projected cash flow distributions, was...

Cleco talks of selling Perryville. (Mergers and Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Cleco Corp. is in discussions to sell its 725 MW power plant in Perryville, La. The company stated that negotiations "are progressing," but did not the potential purchaser. The plant consists of a combined-cycle unit and a simple-cycle unit....

ISO says summer looks OK. (Legal and Regulatory).(California independent System Operator forecasts operating reserve of at least 8% through summer-2003)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The California independent System Operator (ISO) is forecasting an operating reserve of at least eight percent through the summer of 2003, according to its "2003 Summer Assessment." According to the report, more than 900 MW of new generation...

EPA settles with utility. (Legal and Regulatory).(Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Electric Power Co)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Virginia Electric Power Co. has agreed to spend $1.2 billion between now and 2012 to eliminate 237,000 tons of and [NO.sub.x] emissions each year from eight coal-fired plants, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition...

Energy Solutions Plus changes name. (Legal and Regulatory).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Energy Solutions Plus, a provider of consulting services to companies within the energy and utility industry, has changed its name to Fortegra.

Sierra Pacific sues suppliers. (Legal and Regulatory).(Sierra Pacific Resources)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Sierra Pacific Resources and its Las Vegas-based electric utility, Nevada Power Co., filed suit in federal court against several natural gas providers, including El Paso Corp., Sempra Energy and Dynegy Holdings for alleged restraint of trade,...

Foster Wheeler. (Executive Appointments).(Kenneth A. Hiltz)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Kenneth A. Hiltz is chief financial officer.

Exelon. (Executive Appointments).(Oliver Kingsley, Pamela Strobel)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Oliver Kingsley has been named president and chief operating officer. Pamela Strobel is executive vice president.

Ameren. (Executive Appointments).(Douglas Oberhelman)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Caterpillar Group president Douglas Oberhelman has been elected to the board of directors.

National Water & Power. (Executive Appointments).(Jeff Wright)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Jeff Wright has been appointed vice president of strategic accounts.

Electric Power Supply Assoc. (Executive Appointments).(Jack Hawks)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Jack Hawks joins as vice president of public affairs and planning.

Entergy. (Executive Appointments).(Alexis Herman)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Former U.S. secretary of labor Alexis Herman has been elected to the board of directors.

How to assess value drivers in M&A deals. (Finance).
June 1, 2003... Companies in the North American electric power sector face an uphill battle in today's electric power wholesale and capital markets. A combination of general economic and industry crises has forced many participants to face difficult decisions...

Exclusive to EL&P: all energy utility indices now positive for 2003. (Finance).(Illustration)
June 1, 2003... Led by a strong charge in the Merchant Energy Index (up 66.5 percent so far in 2003), all of The C Three Group's Energy Utility Indices have found their way into positive territory for 2003. Notably, the LDC index is the only one of the Energy...

Valuation implications of the distressed asset crisis: the regulatory challenge. (Finance).
June 1, 2003... The so-called "distressed assets crisis" related to the electric generation business has gained notoriety recently. Some experts estimate that, in the U.S., the industry has between 100,000 to 136,100 MW of excess generating capacity. In...

Merchant MW dips from high 2002 numbers. (Industry Report).
June 1, 2003... The amount of planned capacity additions by merchant plant developers has dipped slightly from Last year's numbers, according to the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA). Merchant plants--generating stations financed by investors...

EIA reviews U.S. coal supply and demand. (Electric & Gas Trading).
June 1, 2003... U.S. coal production declined in 2002 by 33.9 million short tons to end the year at 1,093.8 million short tons according to preliminary data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) [see table], down 3.0 percent from the 2001 level of...

U.S. natural gas market update & outlook. (Electric & Gas Trading).
June 1, 2003... Even though working gas-in-storage is very low, there's not much financial incentive to inject. Following last month's 61 billion cubic feet (Bcf) injection, U.S. working gas-in-storage storage of 684 Bcf is now about 6 percent below the...

Elcom receives funding, gets new partners. (Information Technology Customer Systems).
June 1, 2003... Elcom International Inc., an international provider of remotely-hosted e-procurement and private e-marketplace solutions, has closed a private placement of approximately $920,000 (resulting in approximately $675,000 in net cash proceeds to the...

Case study: making the case for business process management. (Information Technology Customer Systems).
June 1, 2003... In mid-2000, Cinergy Power Generation Services established a cross-functional core team of engineers, project managers and supervisors to identify and re-engineer several key business processes. Their goal was to get the right information, to...

Demystifying fixed billing. (Information Technology Customer systems).
June 1, 2003... In the second installment of a three-part series, Jan Moore, president and CEO of Direct Options, further explores the fixed billing concept by assuming the customer's perspective. He identifies the features and benefits that customers find so...

Bermuda Electric selects Avantis. (IT/CS Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Bermuda Electric Light Co. has signed an agreement to deploy the Avantis enterprise asset management solution to assist in managing the island's self-sustaining power generation and distribution operations. The Avantis offering will be used to...

Have you checked your priorities lately? (Management Methods).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Ironically, many a hardworking manager gets buried under his job because he's working hard on the wrong things. To determine what is most important at any given time is one of his toughest challenges. But the person who continually meets the...

Calendar.(various energy industry events)(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... JUNE 19-20 Greenhouse Gas Trading Symposium Center for Business Intelligence (781/939-2400) www.cbinet.com Washington, D.C. 19-20 Deloitte & Touche Energy Conf. Deloitte & Touche (703/251-4301) ...

OLAV completes conversion. (IT/CS Briefs).(for American Electric Power)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... OLAV & Co., a provider of data conversion products, has completed a data conversion effort for American Electric Power (AEP). The effort moved data from legacy AEP supply and purchasing applications to AEP's enterprise asset management software...

WFS awarded contract. (IT/CS Briefs).(Wausau Financial Systems is providing its Optima3 ImageRPS remittance system to Progress Energy)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Wausau Financial Systems (WFS), a provider of knowledge-based remittance processing software and hardware solutions, will provide its Optima3 ImageRPS remittance system to Progress Energy. The new system will provide Progress Energy with...

ComEd looks to Blackwell. (IT/CS Briefs).(Commonwealth Edison engages Blackwell Consulting Services to assist in reviewing the utility's current storm restoration process)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) engaged Blackwell Consulting Services to assist in reviewing the utility's current storm restoration process (SRP) and the applicable emergency response procedures. Blackwell worked with a ComEd team to reengineer...

Kowal offers voice response. (IT/CS Briefs).
June 1, 2003... Kowal Associates provides interactive voice response and automated speech recognition solutions to improve contact center performance and increase customer satisfaction. According to the company, such automated systems reduce costs by handling...

Utility Choice site gathers hits. (IT/CS Briefs).(the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's Web site, www.utilitychoice.com, reaches 10 million hits)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's Web site, www.utilitychoice.com, has reached 10 million hits, as the Utility Choice campaign continues to educate Pennsylvania consumers about how to shop for local service. Officially launched in...

Enporion, Skyway form alliance. (IT/CS Briefs).(Skyway Software and Enporion form an alliance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Skyway Software, a provider of composite supply chain applications for the enterprise, and Enporion, an industry e-marketplace, have formed a business alliance. In this combined effort, Skyway's composite supply chain applications provide...

EPRI teams with utilities to test new methods for mercury control. (Generation).(the Electric Power Research Institute)
June 1, 2003... By 2007, coal-fired power producers will have to comply with regulations on mercury emissions currently being developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--unless this timetable is extended by the EPA or unless legislation superceding...

ECD awarded subcontract. (Generation Briefs).(Energy Conversion Devices Inc. wins a subcontract from the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ECD), a company working with hydrogen-based energy efforts (including solar, rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries, hydrogen storage systems and regenerative fuel cells), has been awarded a subcontract from...

SeaWest adds turbines. (Generation Briefs).(SeaWest Asset Management LLC signs contracts with Enron Wind Systems LLC to provide operations and maintenance services )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... SeaWest Asset Management LLC, a subsidiary of SeaWest Holdings Inc., has recently signed contracts with Enron Wind Systems LLC to provide operations and maintenance services for the next five years. Under the terms of the contract, SeaWest will...

Hydro-Quebec selects technology. (Generation Briefs).(Hydro-Quebec will use SmartSignal equipment condition monitoring software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Hydro-Quebec plans to expand its asset monitoring capabilities with SmartSignal equipment condition monitoring software. Hydro-Quebec is presently upgrading its permanent monitoring system and plans to interface SmartSignal eCM to provide...

Kohler named company of the year. (Generation Briefs).(Kohler Power Systems named recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2003 energy company of the year award)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Frost & Sullivan has named Kohler Power Systems, a provider of power-generation equipment, as the recipient of the 2003 energy company of the year award.

NxtPhase announces agreement with Mitsubishi. (Generation Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... NxtPhase Corp., a provider of digital and fiber optic solutions for the electric power industry, has established a sales agreement with Mitsubishi Canada that facilitates the sales of NxtPhase products through Mitsubishi sales channels in...

FuelCell Energy to install plant. (Generation Briefs).(in a deal with Grand Valley State University)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... FuelCell Energy Inc. has signed an agreement with Grand Valley State University to install and service a DFC300A fuel cell power plant for the Energy Institute's 26,000-square-foot research center in Muskegon, Mich. Funding for the entire...

Mariah Energy opens new production facility. (Generation Briefs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Mariah Energy Corp. has opened a new fabrication facility in Calgary, Alberta. Mariah Energy is a distributed micro-utility that manufactures combined heat and power systems. (The microturbine-based system combines the functions of a...

DOE adds two new fuel cell projects. (Generation Briefs).(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has announced plans to add two new projects valued at more than $213 million to the Department of Energy's (DOE) program to make hydrogen-fueled power systems less expensive--so much so that they could become...

Working live can be managed safely. (Transmission & Distribution).(advice for safely working on live power lines)
June 1, 2003... Working live is a necessity for all utilities. No matter how brief, power interruptions inconvenience customers and are a source of lost revenue for utilities. No matter what the task at hand, or the type of pole a lineman is working...

Midwest ISO creates largest state estimator power model in U.S. (Transmission & Distribution).
June 1, 2003... Talk about a team effort. The Midwest ISO's (MISO) Market Model Development teams in Carmel, Ind. and St. Paul, Minn. have been working nonstop to design, test and complete Midwest ISO's network model in time for market systems integration...

Addressing aging urban networks...one cable at a time. (Power Pointers).(utilities are looking for solutions to provide more reliability and safety for aging urban networks)(Interview)
June 1, 2003... As aging urban network systems are trained by today's need for increased electrical loads, utilities are looking for solutions that focus more on reliability and safety. Low-smoke, zero-halogen (LSZH) polymer technology offers the best overall...

Do you work hard to match the assignment to the employee? (Management Methods).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... But people aren't quite so interchangeable. They have different talents, different interests, different strengths and weaknesses. It should come as no news that the most expeditiously executed assignments are those given to the employees...