Electric Light & Power articles from November 2004

Electric Light & Power archives from November 2004

Events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... : November 30-Dec. 2: POWER-GEN International PennWell Corp. (918/831/9160) www.power-gen.com Orlando, Fla. : 2005 January 25-27: DistribuTECH PennWell Corp. (888/299-8016) www.distributech.com ...

Salt River Project's commitment to customers beyond power provision.(commentary)
November 1, 2004... EL&P's choice for 2004 Utility of the Year (see page 12) is a unique one, not only in its structure, but in its commitment to customer service, technology and philanthropy. The choice of Salt River Project (SRP) is a bit of a departure from...

SRP selected as utility of the year.(profile)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... Each year, the EL&P staff chooses one utility that we feel stands out as exemplary in our industry; to this victor goes our "Utility of the Year" honor. In the past decade, we have chosen utilities that have weathered hard times well and...

It's time to bury plausible deniability.(news)
November 1, 2004... In preparing executives to take the stand whether it's in front of Congress, the state utility commission, FERC, or judge and jury the first thing our team of consultants here at the Communication Counsel of America does is research. In...

Electric utility roles in transitioning to the hydrogen-electric economy.
November 1, 2004... In recent years considerable hype has been given to the hydrogen economy," whereby hydrogen is viewed as a panacea for correcting global problems related to carbon-based fuels. Less attention has been paid to the concept of a "hydrogen-electric...

The power of choice works for Allegheny Power.(case study)
November 1, 2004... Four years age, Allegheny Power (AP) embarked upon a search for ammeter reading system that would meet the present and future needs of the utility. After an extensive evaluation, AP chose the FieldNet[R] System by DB Microware as the only...

Sarbanes-Oxley and the altered state of corporate governance.
November 1, 2004... On July 30, 2002, the Sarbanes--Oxley Act of 2002 (more commonly known as Sarbanes-Oxley or SOX) was signed into law. Enacted in response to a wave of corporate disclosure and accounting scandals that created a lack of investor confidence and a...

The time has come for IGCC.(integrated gasification combined-cycle)
November 1, 2004... Coal is no longer a dirty word. Prior to 2002, natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plants represented the power plant of choice for both utilities and independent power producers in the U.S., while coal-fired plants, though always reliable...

Crisis communications the eye of the hurricane.
November 1, 2004... How do 350 employees battle four hurricanes in six weeks? How does an electric cooperative, responsible for maintaining 6,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines spanning five counties, communicate to its customers when 98 percent of...

Power industry to face challenges as leadership resources retire.
November 1, 2004... With the bulk of Baby Boomers reaching 65 by 2010, who in today's leaner workforce is being groomed to lead tomorrow's companies? Deregulation, restructuring, fuel supplies and environmental standards create a challenging business...

Benefit of counsel: assessing the impact of FERC's "lighter-handed" regulation of LNG terminals.(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)(liquefied natural gas)
November 1, 2004... In December 2002, FERC approved the non-environmental aspects of the proposed Cameron LNG, LLC liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation terminal near Hackberry, Louisiana and ushered in a new era of "lighter-handed" regulation of LNG importation...

Involving executives in vegetation management decisions.
November 1, 2004... Most electric utilities and membership cooperatives have departments dedicated to handling line clearance responsibilities, but it became clear after the August 2003 blackout that executives and upper managers need to take the lead in seeing...

ERP: are tier-one solutions a possibility for your utility?(enterprise resource planning )
November 1, 2004... The current industry climate has caused energy companies, especially mid-market utilities, to contemplate growth strategies. Increasing pressures to operate more efficiently, improve customer satisfaction, provide proper governance and prepare...

2003 operating performance rankings show dip in nuclear, effects of environmental controls on coal-fired.(industry report)
November 1, 2004... A slight dip in nuclear generation, the effects of environmental controls on coal-fired generation and a continuing increase in combined cycle capacity are among the trends of note in EL&P's most recent operating performance rankings. For...

Generation investment: are power generation companies overlooking cheapest source or capital?(finance)
November 1, 2004... Prior to deregulation, investor-owned utility companies were guaranteed some rate of return on distribution and generation systems upgrade investments because the costs could, largely, be passed to the end user. However, today's deregulated...

Exclusive C three equity index: composite energy continues to outpace S&P.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The C Three Group's composite energy utility index continues to lead the S&P 500 for 2004. up 19.6 percent vs. 8.7 percent for the S&P. The C Three LDC Index that led all of the indices for most of the year, has now fallen behind electric and...

Executive spotlight.(Company Profile)
November 1, 2004... COMPANY PROFILE MRO Software is the leading provider of strategic asset and service management solutions. The Company's comprehensive suite of applications is delivered on a web-architected platform and increases productivity, reduces...

Dynamic monitoring is cost effective for TransAlta, BPA.(information technolgy/cis/customer relationship management)
November 1, 2004... Grid planning and operating decisions rely on simulations of the dynamic behavior of the power system. Both technical and commercial segments of the industry must be confident that the dynamic simulation models and database are accurate and up...

Executive roundtable: what is the most significant obstacle power generators will face in the next decade, and how do we, as an industry, overcome it?(generation)
November 1, 2004... For deregulated power generators, the most significant obstacle is regulatory uncertainty in the future of competitive markets. Today's industry landscape is a blend of regulation and competition. Without a clear path leading to the...

Generation asset valuation: are we at the nadir for gas-fired power plants?(risk management)
November 1, 2004... New natural gas-fired power plants--those operational in the post-2000 period--will start to show significant recovery in valuations over the next two to three years in most U.S. markets. This recovery will be one of several examples of energy...

Get rid of those irksome jobs.(management methods)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Some people are overworked. But others are simply worn out by worry over what has to be done. One of the major culprits in building up tensions is the nagging thought of accumulated small jobs put off from day to day phone calls, letters...

Make that idea a winner.(management methods)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Ever had the idea of your life and had it turned down flat? Here's a way to avoid that unhappy experience or at least minimize the possibility of it happening. * State the idea clearly. Unless you can, you don't really know what the idea...

Short circuit self doubts.(management methods)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Self-doubt afflicts most people at one time or another, but if you allow it to get the upper hand, it can paralyze initiative and sink a career before it gets off" the ground. Next time you feel your self-confidence waning, ask (and answer)...

Turning a problem into a decision.(management methods)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Among the manager's daily duties: reaching decisions. There seldom seems to be enough data available for a 100 percent foolproof course of action, yet those decisions must constantly be made. How can you load the dice in your favor? Try this...

Nashville Electric Services.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Decosta Jenkins is president and CEO of Nashville Electric Services

Pantellos.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Pantellos named Robert Lutz vice president of product management and chief technology officer.

American Superconductor.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... American Superconductor has appointed Terry Winter to the newly created position of executive vice president, advanced grid solutions. They hope his appointment "will help accelerate the adoption of advanced reactive power compensation...

Baltimore Gas & Electric.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Frank Heintz has retired as president of Baltimore Gas & Electric. Kenneth DeFontes, Jr., succeeded Heintz. Mark Huston has been appointed to succeed DeFontes as vice president of electric transmission and distribution for the utility.

According to a Fulbright & Jaworski survey of corporate law departments, energy companies reported that they average 17.1 cases currently in litigation, fourth highest among the eight industries surveyed.(notes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... According to a Fulbright & Jaworski survey of corporate law departments, energy companies reported that they average 17.1 cases currently in litigation, fourth highest among the eight industries surveyed. The energy companies also state that...

Customers are slow to adopt electronic bill presentment and payment options.(notes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Customers are slow to adopt electronic bill presentment and payment options. On average, only 7 percent of customers receive bills electronically (email or web) and fewer (5 percent) pay electronically through the web. (Source: Ascent Group.)

IHS Energy has acquired strategic industry advisor.(notes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... IHS Energy has acquired strategic industry advisor Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA).

Advice.(the executive)(Measure-X)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... David Saxby of Measure-X explains the eight "service sins" that can drive customers away. These include: 1. apathy. The "I don't give a rip about you or my job" attitude. 2. brush-off. Getting rid of the customer by transferring the...