Fortnightly Magazine - June 2006

Kicked Off and On Schedule

Cal-ISO files a new market design, but has it traded efficiency for software?

Eyeing a launch date of November 2007, Cal-ISO at last has come forward with plans for revamping its widely disparaged wholesale market design. The formal proposal, known as the MRTU (Market Redesign and Technology Upgrade), was filed this past February at FERC.

The CEO Forum: The Ultimate CEOs

What is leadership?

Fortnightly speaks to five CEOs who exemplify industry leadership: David L. Sokol, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.; Peter A. Darbee, PG&E Corp.; Jeff Sterba, PNM Resources; Peggy Fowler, Portland General Electric; and J. Wayne Leonard, Entergy.

The CEO Forum: The Ultimate CEOs: David L. Sokol

Chairman and CEO, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.

“Leadership is the recognition that we are fiduciaries of the customer’s dollars and we have to be as efficient as we possibly can be because it is their money and not ours.”

The CEO Forum: The Ultimate CEOs: Jeff Sterba

Chairman, President, and CEO, PNM Resources

“Any leader who thinks their job is only about articulating a grand vision is sadly mistaken. Success is 20 percent planning, 60 percent execution, and 20 percent luck.”

The CEO Forum: The Ultimate CEOs: J. Wayne Leonard

CEO, Entergy

“I think it is my job as a leader to make sure that our values are always lived up to even when [they] conflict necessarily with our vision. That is what people look for at the end of the day. A leader’s role above all else is to make sure the truth is respected.”

Mending Our Broken Capacity Markets

The ability to provide reliable capacity is becoming both riskier and more costly to society and investors alike.

The ability to provide reliable capacity is becoming both riskier and more costly to society and investors alike.

Do Utility Mergers Deliver?

Not in all cases, or for all stakeholders. Here’s why.

The industry perceives substantial benefits from consolidating. But what is the track record? Does the regulatory and strategic landscape suggest these mergers are beneficial?

The New Art of Plant Acquisition

Forget the mega merger as a means to acquire new power plants. FERC’s new rules may offer a better path.

Forget the mega merger as a means to acquire new power plants. FERC’s new rules may offer a better path.

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