Become a PUF Member Organization

Strategy & Planning

Lost in Translation

Critics say FERC's filed rate doctrine is wrong for the times.

It’s quite remarkable how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been able to pound a square peg into a round hole. With not much more than a wink and a smile, FERC has taken a depression-era law meant for monopolies — the Federal Power Act — and has made it serve double duty as a foundation for competitive power markets. Yet FERC’s reinterpretation, for all its good intentions, may prove inadequate in the long run to define and support full-fledged energy markets.
Byline: 

Richard Stavros

Read Entire Article

Preparing for a Nuclear Exchange

Three ways to value nuclear power plants for buyers and sellers.

Appraisers don’t make the market — they reflect it — using three approaches to help buyers and sellers of nuclear assets determine plant value.
Byline: 

Michael J. Remsha, P.E., ASA, CMI

Read Entire Article

FERC's GulfTerra Orders: Changes in the Pipeline

A new FERC decision veers away from congressional intent not to burden intrastate pipelines with interstate policies.

Two recent orders in a GulfTerra Texas Pipeline LP rate case make new precedent for Natural Gas Policy Act intrastate pipelines providing interstate transportation.
Byline: 

J. Michel Marcoux

Read Entire Article

CIS: The New Profit Machine

How IT can allow utilities to invest in customers — and even improve returns — without breaking the bank.

The North American CIS market is undergoing a transformation. What should utilities expect from a CIS system? What should they spend? And, is CIS system replacement always the answer?
Byline: 

Lori A. Burkhart

Read Entire Article

Business & Money: Bringing Back The Greenbacks

A spate of proposed U.S. tax rule changes soon may open a window of opportunity for certain utilities.

The proposed Homeland Investment Act on Repatriation may soon open a window of opportunity for U.S. companies with unrepatriated foreign earnings. If passed, it potentially would allow U.S. utilities to bring money back into the country without harsh tax penalties, thereby freeing up capital to reinvest in assets here, pay down U.S. debt, or fund other liabilities.
Byline: 

Todd M. Landau, Tadd A. Fowler, and Craig King

Read Entire Article

Perspective: Let's Get This Party Started

Why Ontario needs a competitive market.

Ultimately, relying on market forces is the best stick the Ontario government can use to bust open the power sector piñata and ensure that the benefits of sustainably priced, reliable electricity supplies rain down on Ontario consumers.
Byline: 

A.J. Goulding

Read Entire Article

Letter to the Editor

Letters for May 2004.

The Chair of the NERC Load Forecasting Working Group disagrees with some conjectures in "NERC's Cloudy Crystal Ball" in the March 2004 issue.
Byline: 

John Harris

Read Entire Article

Frontlines: You're Fired!

Utilities have little to show for the millions they pay in campaign contributions.

If Donald Trump could call Congress on the carpet, he would send lawmakers packing with those two now infamous words, “You’re fired!” from his reality TV show “The Apprentice.” Now think of how many times Congress has failed to pass an energy bill without incident.
Byline: 

Richard Stavros

Read Entire Article

Banking on Predictability

A renewed capital investment structure is required for long-term investment in power infrastructure.

What is the relationship between capital investment and sustainable power infrastructure? A Lehman Bros. investment banker argues for a financing mechanism similar to that used with Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act contracts.
Byline: 

Frank A. Napolitano

Read Entire Article

The Generation Glut: When Will It End?

An analysis of the timing, location, and mix of new capacity additions that may be needed in the future.

An analysis of the timing, location, and mix of new capacity additions that may be needed in the future.
Byline: 

Stephen T. Marron & John H. Wile

Read Entire Article