Electric Light & Power articles from May 2003

Electric Light & Power archives from May 2003

Mixing it up: American nuclear power gets a lesson in MOX.(Mixed oxide (MOX) is about 95% enriched uranium oxide and less than 5% plutonium oxide; Duke Energy is discussed)
May 1, 2003... Raise your hand if you know what MOX is. Go ahead. Don't be shy. (No one's probably in your office anyway.) Don't worry. I didn't know either. But, you see, there was this article from The Moscow Times that I was reading--an editorial,...

New twist: citizens defend power plant. (Commentary).(Salem Harbor Alliance for Reliable Energy (SHARE) supports PG&E National Energy Group's (PG&E) Salem Harbor Station)
May 1, 2003... You're most likely familiar with NIMBY (not in my backyard) as a term used to refer to opposition to building new power plants or transmission lines. However, a newly formed group's actions in Salem, Mass. could be called LIMBY--leave it in my...

New requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley Act demand business as "unusual". (Executive Insights).(NSTAR is creating method to enable it to work toward toward annual Sarbanes-Oxley compliance)
May 1, 2003... Hands-on systems testing by corporate officers and hands-off relationships with audit firms are becoming the norm as companies move to comply with requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Though the increase in senior level review will...

Benefit of council: rethinking the near-term platform for achieving competitive wholesale markets. (News).
May 1, 2003... Last spring, a comprehensive plan was coming together to support the merchant generation fleet that will become the centerpiece of competitive wholesale markets. FERC was completing an extensive dialogue on standard market design, and was...

Balkanization powers "win-win" acquisitions of electric cooperatives. (Guest Commentary).(Cooperatives entice acquisition candidates)
May 1, 2003... Cooperatives are enticing acquisition candidates. Located in 47 states and numbering roughly a thousand, domestic electric cooperatives have assets worth $76 billion and serve 36 million people via 2.3 million miles of distribution lines. To...

EnvaPower, Project Navigator form alliance. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... EnvaPower and Project Navigator have announced a partnership leveraging the resources of each company's core and proprietary technologies and energy market experience for future growth and market penetration, according to the companies.

ElectricAmerica awarded PECO customers. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ElectricAmerica, an electric supply retailer, has been awarded 49,172 small commercial customers through the market share threshold bid/assignment process implemented by PECO Energy. The process was part of PECO's 1998 restructuring settlement,...

Alberta gov't to buy from green producer. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Alberta Infrastructure will purchase about 45% of its required power from Canadian Hydro)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Alberta Infrastructure will purchase approximately 45 percent of its required power from Canadian Hydro, which was one of two successful bidders in the request for proposals for the supply of green electricity. The green power to be sold to...

BP Energy, Texas Independent Energy sign management deal. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Texas Independent Energy and BP Energy Co. has signed two three-year agreements involving natural gas supply and energy marketing services for Texas Independent Energy's two 1,000 MW generating plants. Under the agreements, BP will supply...

Dominion acquires Nicor customers. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Dominion Retail has acquired approximately 132,000 commercial and industrial and residential customer accounts in the deregulated natural gas markets in northern Illinois. The accounts were acquired from Nicor Energy, a retail energy marketer...

Calpine signs Calif. power agreement. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Calpine Corp. signs power sales agreement with Southern California Edison)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Calpine Corp. has entered into a long-term, power sales agreement with Southern California Edison calling for the delivery of 200 MW of baseload renewable energy. Delivery will begin by the end of the second quarter of 2003.

Univ. of Mich. signs with Duke. (News Briefs: Projects and Contracts).(Signs with Duke Energy subsidiary, Engage Energy America)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Engage Energy America, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has signed an agreement to provide electricity at a fixed price to the University of Michigan through June 2004.

Reliant reaches agreement to sell European business. (News Briefs: Mergers and Acquisitions).(Reliant Resources will sell European business to nv Nuon)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Reliant Resources has entered into an agreement in principal to sell its European business to nv Nuon, a Netherlands-based electricity distributor. The approximately $1.3 billion (euro 1.2 billion) transaction includes cash receipts of...

KEMA-XENERGY sells division. (News Briefs: Mergers and Acquisitions).(Sells assets of energy and engineering services division to ConEdison Solutions)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... KEMA-XENERGY will sell the assets of its energy and engineering services division to ConEdison Solutions, a New York-based energy service provider. Financials were not disclosed.

Constellation purchases portion of Nicor. (News Briefs: Mergers and Acquisitions).(Constellation Energy Group)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Constellation Energy Group will acquire certain competitive energy supply contracts of commercial and industrial customers of Nicor Energy in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana Terms were not disclosed.

Utilities keep M&A intentions at the top of the list. (News Briefs: Mergers and Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Consolidation in the utilities industry should increase in the near-term as utility companies facing the toughest market in years pursue strategies to improve growth, profitability and competitive position through mergers and acquisitions,...

CEC approves project. (News Briefs: Legal and Regulatory).(California Energy Commission approves state licensing for Southern California Public Power Authority's Magnolia Power Project in Burbank)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved state licensing for the Southern California Public Power Authority's Magnolia Power Project in Burbank, which is scheduled to begin generating electricity for six Southern California cities by...

CPV gains approval. (News Briefs: Legal and Regulatory).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The State Corporation Commission of Virginia has approved the request by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) to build a natural gas-fired power generating facility in Warren County, Va.

TransCanada responds to decision. (News Briefs: Legal and Regulatory).(Ontario government's decision to let wholesale power business remain open to market competition)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The CEO of TransCanada Pipelines applauded the Ontario government's decision to let the wholesale power business remain open to market competition, and to not include large industrial or commercial customers in the 4.3 cent per kWh electricity...

NRC releases fact sheet. (News Briefs: Legal and Regulatory).(Dirty bombs fact sheet)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently released a new fact sheet on dirty bombs, or radiological dispersal devices (RDD), for members of the nuclear energy industry to use as basic information. It is available at the NRC Web site...

Letter to the Editor.
May 1, 2003... LNG--Lets Not Go (there). At the Electric Power Conference last week I was amazed to hear the utility execs at the Executive Roundtable all pretty much agree that the solution to our long term gas supply problems was the use of LNG and the...

How volatile are natural gas prices? (News Special: Natural Gas).
May 1, 2003... Recently, natural gas has exhibited tremendous volatility and high price levels which has prompted traders and risk managers to ask the question "looking forward, how volatile are natural gas prices?" Assuming that volatility must exist, the...

Managing transmission grid investment in a competitive world. (Finance).
May 1, 2003... A mid the Federal Energy Regulatory Cornmission's (FERC) regulatory actions to secure the benefits of competition, there is growing concern that grid reliability is declining, and that the industry's efforts to improve the quality of the system...

Closer to reality? LNG imports eyed to meet generation demand. (News Special: Natural Gas).
May 1, 2003... An increase in exploration and production activity, with optimum results, is the only way to stave off a looming natural gas supply-demand gap that threatens to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports substantially by the end of the...

Equity indicies: Merchant energy index continues to chip away at losses. (Exclusive to EL&P).
May 1, 2003... The C Three Group LLC Merchant Energy Index continues to make gains in 2003, gaining 20 percent for the year (through April 9). The C Three Composite Index is nearly even with the S&P 500 in 2003 with a return of -1.7 percent, compared with...

Wisconsin Energy expects capital spending of $693 million. (Finance Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Wisconsin Energy Corp. expects capital expenditures of $693 million for 2003, compared with $557 million in 2002. The estimates include $455 million for the company's utility energy segment; $186 million for it nonutility power the future...

Aquila wants to exit Australia. (Finance Briefs).(Asset swap could allow Aquila Inc. to exit Australia)
May 1, 2003... A A$2 billion-plus asset swap could allow Aquila Inc. to exit Australia. The deal would result in Australian financial services company AMP Ltd. and AlintaGas Ltd. becoming the owners of a pool of energy distribution assets in Western Australia...

Duke puts French power plant on the block. (Finance Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Duke Energy International has put up for sale its French power station, Compagnie Thermique du Rouvray, less than a year after buying it. The 103 MW combined heat and power plant supplies power to state-owned Electricite de France and steam to...

Clean Air Partners raises $8.6 million in VC. (Finance Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Clean Air Partners, involved in the development and commercialization of high-tech solutions to reduce emissions from mobile and stationary engines, closed its second round of venture capital funding in the amount of $8.6 million. CIBC Capital...

Executive roundtable: public power stays strong & Cinergy shines in corporate governance. (Industry Report).
May 1, 2003... Talk with executives from the public power segment of the industry, and you'll hear a story very different from that of most investor-owned utilities (IOUs). Ask them how things are going, and you're likely to hear, "Very well, thank you." ...

NYMEX OTC c1earing: A viable solution for pricing. (Electric & Gas Trading).
May 1, 2003... In the energy market a year ago, the focus as "price volatility." In today's market, the buzz word is "credit." At a recent energy conference attended by industry professionals nationwide, not a single speaker left the podium without...

Duke Energy to exit proprietary trading. (E&GT Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Duke Energy will discontinue proprietary trading at its North American merchant energy businesses, Duke Energy North America and Duke Energy Merchants. The company has pursued interests in crude oil, natural gas and power proprietary trading in...

Williams sells risk management contract for $188m. (E&GT Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Williams sold its 15-year, full-requirements contract to manage Jackson Electric Membership Corp.'s, Jefferson, Ga., 1,100 MW power resources and load obligation to Progress Energy for $188M cash. Progress will assume responsibility for the...

CMS Energy subsidiary sells wholesale power trading book. (E&GT Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... CMS Marketing, Services and Trading closed the sales of its wholesale electric book and related supply portfolio and its 50 percent interest in Texon LP, which specializes in purchasing, transporting and marketing oil and natural gas liquids in...

El Paso Merchant Energy settles with CFTC. (E&GT Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... El Paso Merchant Energy (EPME), a unit of El Paso Corn., has concluded a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on a previously disclosed investigation relating to the inaccurate reporting of information on natural gas...

Goldman Sachs buys into N.J. cogen facility. (E&GT Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Citing enhancement of their "power-trading capabilities and opportunities," the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. announced its agreement to acquire for $456M in cash El Paso Corp.'s interests in East Coast Power LLC, which owns the gas-fired, 940 MW...

F technology gas turbines achieve 7.1 million fired hours. (Generation).
May 1, 2003... GE Power Systems' installed fleet of more than 500 F technology gas turbines has reached 7.1 million hours of commercial operation in power plants worldwide. "We are proud that our F technology fleet has established another milestone for...

Wind-tunnel tests spray performance in gas turbines. (Generation).(Spraying Systems Co.)
May 1, 2003... Spraying Systems Co. announced the availability of its custom-built Wenham (blower-type) wind tunnel for testing spray performance in gas turbine inlet fogging applications. The wind tunnel is the latest addition to the company's laboratories...

GE Hydro supplies runners to upgrade Ontario plant. (Generation).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Increased plant output will be the result when GE Hydro replaces runners on two of the seven turbines in operation at the Cameron Falls Generating Station, a hydropower plant owned by Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG). GE Hydro will...

FPL Energy expands wind portfolio. (Generation).
May 1, 2003... FPL Energy LLC, the unregulated wholesale generating subsidiary of FPL Group Inc., announced it plans to build three new wind energy facilities in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania by the end of the year. The new projects include:...

Progress Energy selects Enercon. (Generation Briefs).(Will provide engineering and design services to commercial nuclear power plants )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Progress Energy selected Enercon Services, Tulsa, Okla., to provide engineering and design services to commercial nuclear power plants operated by the company in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Enercon will be involved with...

Con Edison to buy power from new Queens plant. (Generation Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc. awarded a 10-year contract to buy 500 MW of electricity from a new power plant to be built in the borough of Queens by Astoria Energy LLC. For Astoria Energy--a unit of SOS Energy LLC-the deal will help...

DTE Energy expands standby generation product offerings. (Generation Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... DTE Energy Technologies, a non-regulated subsidiary of DTE Energy Co., has expanded its portfolio of on-site energy solutions to include a full range of natural gas and diesel generator products ranging from 5 kW to 2 MW, all marketed under the...

EPA switches to wind power for NYC offices. (Generation Briefs).(Will buy wind energy from Community Energy Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will switch to wind power for its offices in lower Manhattan, making this the first EPA regional office in the country that will be completely powered by wind-generated electricity as...

A cost/benefit comparison of reliability improvement strategies. (Transmission & Distribution).(Electric utilities)
May 1, 2003... In response to the uncertainty associated with industry restructuring, modern electric utilities are under increasing pressure to simultaneously increase reliability and decrease cost. These two goals are conflicting in nature and are further...

Progress Energy Carolinas in agreement with AIR2. (T&D Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Progress Energy Carolinas has completed a teaming agreement with AIR2 which combines Progress Energy Carolinas' ground-based equipment resources with AIR2's helicopter airborne powerline capabilities to provide a range of construction and...

ComEd gets FERC OK. (T&D Briefs).(Commonwealth Edison )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) is proceeding as quickly as possible with plans to transfer control of its transmission system to the PJM Interconnect, having received official approval to do so from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)....

Ambient deploys communications technology. (T&D Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Ambient Corp. has successfully deployed a field trial of its powerline communications technology in partnership with Southern Telecom. (The couplers are deployed on a 12kV distribution line.) The field trial anticipates expanding the initial...

BPA approves line project. (T&D Briefs).(Bonneville Power Administration )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has officially decided to build the Schultz-Hanford area 500 kV transmission line project, a 64-mile line in central Washington state between a substation north of Ellensburg and a new substation...

SPP, Midwest ISO call off merger. (T&D Briefs).(Southwest Power Pool and Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (Midwest ISO) have mutually agreed to terminate the consolidation of their organizations. The companies began discussing a consolidation in August 2001 and...

ABB to deliver new SCADA/EMS. (T&D Briefs).(ABB is awarded contract with New York ISO to install ABB's SCADA/EMS system)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ABB has been awarded a contract with New York ISO (NYISO) to install ABB's SCADA/EMS system to help NYISO meet the requirements outline by FERC's standard market design. The contract is valued at $20 million, excluding hardware.

PSE&G selects Metretek. (T&D Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Metretek has received an order from Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) of New Jersey to provide 6,000 Metretek DCM200 intelligent, wireless gateway devices, along with associated software and support services. The DCM200 employs new...

Enabling change: the next generation CIS systems for utilities. (Information Technology Customer Systems).
May 1, 2003... Utilities are confronting unprecedented challenges and a volatile environment against a backdrop of mergers and acquisitions, evolving regulatory models, and customer demands for streamlined and personalized offerings. Given formidable market...

Demystifying fixed billing programs. (Information Technology Customer Systems).(Fixed billing for utilities)
May 1, 2003... In the first of a three-part series, Jan Moore, president and CEO of Direct Options demystifies the fixed billing concept by looking through the utility's eyes. He identifies the program's inherent risks, how utilities can successfully manage...

Study finds business customers want special billing. (IT/CS Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Only 28 percent of U.S. utilities have special billing systems for complex accounts. The remaining 72 percent may not be able to grapple with a variety of complicated rates and tariffs, but they can still provide special billing options that...

ComEd, Electric City curtail power over IP system. (IT/CS Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Electric City and Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) will develop a 50-MW power curtailment system for the utility utilizing Electric City's EnergySaver/GlobalCommander technology. The new system, called Virtual Negawatt Power Plan, will allow ComEd...

RETX unveils latest product suite. (IT/CS Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... RETX, a provider of lnternet-applications and services for energy management and demand response opportunities, announced the launch of its next generation product suite, RETX ePath. RETX provides the ePath application platform to system...

Intergraph announces subscription program. (IT/CS Briefs).(Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions announced the availability of its new GeoMedia Software subscription program. Through the program, customers may purchase one-year subscriptions to run one or multiple licenses of desktop and Web...

Excelergy releases new version. (IT/CS Briefs).(Excelergy BusinessRunner platform )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Excelergy Corp. has released the latest version of its Excelergy BusinessRunner platform to manage the collaborative communications and information exchange requirements of its client base. Excelergy BusinessRunner is currently deployed at...

PG&E, SPL WorldGroup implement billing system. (IT/CS Briefs).(Pacific Gas and Electric)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SPL's CorDaptix .CIS solution went live at PG&E in December 2002, replacing a legacy billing system that--according to SPL WorldGroup--couldn't meet PG&E's strategic objectives, nor their customers' need for real-time information. Calculating...

Panasonic introduces tablet PCs. (IT/CS Briefs).(Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., notebook computers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., a provider of portable computers, has introduced two convertible Toughbook CF-18 notebook/pen tablet PC models. Utilizing an advanced mobility platform and technology for maximum performance with minimal...

Secrets of successful delegation. (Management Methods).(business, delegating duties)
May 1, 2003... Delegating not only makes your work easier and your people's jobs more interesting, it also helps you improve your department's productivity, identifies you as a leader, and is a potent training tool. Despite these pluses, however, a...

Achievement checklist. (Management Methods).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Accomplishment starts with proper attitudes and good habits. Think failure, and you will fail. Lack discipline and organization, and you will fall hopelessly behind in your work. This little quiz is designed to help you determine whether you...

Too many people reporting to you? (Management Methods).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Most management experts agree that the optimum number of employees per manager is fewer than ten. Rules of thumb are handy, but broader averages can and are being used today. For example, a group of trainees or inexperienced employees requires...

Make the time you need. (Management Methods).
May 1, 2003... Once there was a farmer who told his wife he would plow the "south forty." He began by oiling the tractor. But finding that he was out of oil, he went to the shop to get it. On his way, he noticed that the pigs hadn't been slopped, so he went...

How bright art thou? Pop quiz on electrical history.
May 1, 2003... 1 The ohm, a unit of electrical resistance, is named after... * Johann Ohm, a scientist who assisted Fourier in his study of heat conduction. * Georg Ohm, an author of elementary geometry books and a mathematics teacher. * Simon...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... MAY 18-21 EEI/AGA Customer Services Conf. and Expo Edison Electric Institute/American Gas Assn. (202/508-5564) New Orleans 19-21 GeoSpatial World Intergraph (256/730-8892) www.geospatialworld.com New Orleans...