Electric Light & Power articles from May 2004

Electric Light & Power archives from May 2004

Itron provides New York ISO with sophisticated energy forecasting system; 5-minute-ahead load forecasts critical to ensuring successful market operation under FERC's Standard Market Design.(Company Profile)
May 1, 2004... Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) is working with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), providing the market operator with a sophisticated energy forecasting system to meet the requirements of Standard Market Design (SMD) and help ensure the...

Final blackout report is essential summer reading.(commentary)
May 1, 2004... April, the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force released its final report on the 14 blackout. The document, which weighs in at a healthy 228 pages, is available at https://reports.energy.gov for those of you who have not yet completed...

Events.(Calendar)
May 1, 2004... June 6-8: EEI Annual Convention & Expo Edison Electric Institute www.eei.org Orlando, Fla. 10-11: T&D Asset Management Center for Business Intelligence (781/939-2400) www.cbinet.com New York July 28-30: COAL-GEN 2004 PennWell...

Profile: NERC.(profile)(National Electric Reliability Council )(Interview)
May 1, 2004... In March, I spoke with four of NERC's executives: Michehl Gent, president and CEO; David Cook, vice president and general counsel: David Hilt, vice president of compliance; and David Nevius, senior vice president. In the first part of this...

Is there a bright future for company Latin America?(news)
May 1, 2004... With the future of electric utility companies around the world in flux, many companies are examining their past investment decisions and reassessing their options for additional investment opportunities with a critical and skeptical eye. In the...

Lessons on moving markets.(news)
May 1, 2004... In 1999, Microsol, an international provider of SCADA & automation equipment, made a strategic decision to expand beyond our well-established markets in the UK, Middle East and Australia. After consideration of a number of factors, the decision...

Fine-tuning your approach with credit agencies.(news)
May 1, 2004... Credit rating agencies are looming large in the electric power industry's future. As a result of the economic and market turmoil of the past few years, an unprecedented number of electric companies have seen their credit standings fall with...

Benefit of counsel carrots and competition shouldn't utilities earn a "return" on purchased power?(news)
May 1, 2004... Some industry observers are rushing to declare wholesale competition ailing, if not dead. While these pronouncements appear a bit premature, the continued existence of the merchant model is, at the very least, threatened by the understandable...

The aging workforce: what can you do about it?(news)
May 1, 2004... This is the conclusion of a four-part series. In the first segment of this series (Dec. EL&P), we emphasized the need to prepare for the wave of retirements that the utility industry will face by the end of this decade. Focusing on the...

Special focus on T&D: toward a smart electric grid.(news)
May 1, 2004... The August 14 blackout in the Northeast and Midwest United States and southern Canada served as a clarion call about the need to upgrade the electric power grid. Indeed, the findings of the U.S.-Canada Power Systems Outage Task Force suggested...

Marketing buzz: spread the news without breaking the bank.(news)
May 1, 2004... Let me set the scene for you. It's Monday morning, and you are e marketing communications manager for a (pick one) rural electric cooperative, a small municipal utility or a small investor-owned energy company. The key word here is small. ...

NAM under the microscope.(generation)(Nuclear asset management)
May 1, 2004... Nuclear asset management (NAM) is a frequent conference topic and falls into the "difficult to implement" category. Making comprehensive decisions at all levels of a nuclear generation business requires true operational implementation of the...

New CEO, same great culture.(industry report)(Progress Energy)(Interview)
May 1, 2004... This month EL&P speaks with Bob McGehee, the new CEO of Progress Energy, about his plans for the company and his views of the industry. KD: What is your vision of the future for Progress Energy? BM: Right now, we're in a transition...

Company profile.(Executive Spotlight)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Cooper Power Systems is a leading manufacturer of medium and high voltage equipment, components and engineering services for the distribution and management of electrical power. Company products are used by electrical utilities and significant...

Personal interests.(Executive Spotlight)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... This August, Bill Martino celebrates his 10th anniversary as president of Cooper Power Systems. Bill spent his early career at General Electric, and came to Cooper Power Systems after four years with Cooper Crouse-Hinds. He received a BS degree...

Perspective on electric light & power.(Executive Spotlight)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Information is the lifeblood of our business. We are fortunate to live in a time when there's a lot of information at our fingertips. Yet without trusted sources, the information, which should be beneficial and help us achieve our goals,...

Mounting concerns over SCADA security.(industry report)(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
May 1, 2004... Recent reports-most recently one by the General Accounting office--have raised concerns over network security in the power and energy sector. An Internet security threat report published by Symantec in March of this year describes and...

Company rep impacts stocks, stability, investment.(finance)
May 1, 2004... The electric power industry has experienced widespread tumult in the last two years. Events have distracted management, resulted in revisions to corporate strategy, heightened consumer unrest, and led to an onslaught of negative media coverage....

Insurance: the power to generate growth.(finance)
May 1, 2004... Companies involved in power generation may need a variety of property-related insurance at any given time to protect against specific risks. There are four basic kinds of property protection, all of which are generally "all risk" policies that...

Exclusive C Three equity index: utilities continue to lead the S&P 500.(finance)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The C Three Group's Composite Energy Utility Index continues to lead the S&P 500 for 2004, up 2.6 percent vs. 2.0 percent for the S&P. The C Three LDC Index also leads the S&P 500 in 2004, posting a 2.3 percent gain so far. And, while the...

Transaction software systems have come a long way.(risk management)
May 1, 2004... Just a few snort years ago, power transaction and scheduling systems were but a pipe dream as markets deregulated and software vendors attempted to modify natural gas systems to adapt to the new power markets' requirements. In our first annual...

Outsourcing allows utilities to cut costs, focus core business.(it/cis/crm)
May 1, 2004... A multi-billion dollar industry is p for grabs for utilities that can convince consumers and businesses to switch power suppliers. Of all the current trends impacting outsourcing for the utility industry, the recently enacted "Do Not Call"...

New trends shaping demand response programs.(it/cis/crm)
May 1, 2004... Recent years have seen renewed interest in demand response programs across the U.S. These programs use a variety of pricing mechanisms to encourage demand reduction during periods of severe supply constraints and/or extreme spot market prices...

Use the "you" approach.(management method)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Psychologists estimate that we spend fully 92 percent of our thinking time thinking about ourselves. Put this fact to work for you in your business communications. Highlight other people's wants, needs, interests and desires. Nothing, but...

Handling pressure.(management method)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... It's a part of life, but no one relishes it: pressure, the feeling that something is snapping at your heels and won't go away, no matter what you do. How to handle it? Regardless of the nature of the pressure confronting you, a big part of...

The Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. (MISO).(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. (MISO) has four new vice presidents: Jo Biggers, vice president, treasurer and controller; Mark Griffin, vice president and chief of staff; Roger Harszy, vice president of engineering;...

Dynegy.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Dynegy's board of directors has elected Bruce Williamson, president and CEO, chairman. Additionally, Howard Sheppard has been appointed to the company's board of directors.

NUI Corp.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... John Kean, chairman of the board of NUI Corp., stepped down April 1. He will retain his directorship for the remainder of his temp.

Xcel Energy.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Xcel Energy hired Robert Hix, former chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, as its director for regulatory and strategic analysis.

Waukesha Electric Systems.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Waukesha Electric Systems named Kenneth Lord to head its Canton Ohio subsidiary, P.S.D. Inc.

American Supercondutor Corp.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... American Supercondutor Corp. (AMSC) added Vikram Budhraja to its board of directors. The company also named David Paratore its president and chief operating officer. Paratore will report to AMSC co-founder, chairman and CEO GregYurek.

Enercon.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... John Richardson is president of Enercon. He was previously chief operating officer and succeeds Jerry Martin, co-founder and president since 1983.

Robert Biggs joined the board of directors.(appointments)
May 1, 2004... Robert Biggs joined the board of directors for DPL Inc. and the Dayton Power & Light Co.

EPRI Worldwide.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... EPRI Worldwide named Wade Malcolm president and CEO. Malcolm originally joined EPRI in 1991 as a program manager in the customer systems division.

Southern Company Services.(appointments)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Mark Crosswhite is vice president and associate general counsel for Southern Company Services.

The combined net income of the companies in the Dow Jones Utilities Index.(notes)(Dow Jones)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The combined net income of the companies in the Dow Jones Utilities Index fell from $12 billion in 2001 to a loss of more than $5 billion in 2002, and the 15 companies' combined market capitalization was cut in half from almost $250 billion to...

Since 2000, the percentage of utilities planning or considering using broadband has risen steadily from 6 percent to 20 percent.(notes)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... * Since 2000, the percentage of utilities planning or considering using broadband has risen steadily from 6 percent to 20 percent. All told, 33 percent of electric unities in 2003 reported using, planning or considering broadband. (Source:...

One study finds that utility companies receive a lower average customer satisfaction index score among small businesses.(notes)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... * One study finds that utility companies receive a lower average customer satisfaction index score among small businesses (spending between $500 and $1,500 per month on electricity) than among larger customers (spending over $1,500 per month)....