New England Electric System has selected 12 companies from the U.S. and Europe to take part in an auction to supply electricity to Massachusetts and Rhode Island "standard offer" customers when retail competition begins.
Standard-offer service is set at seven years in Massachusetts and 12 years in Rhode Island. When competition begins, slated for Jan. 1, 1998 in both states, consumers can choose a new energy supplier through the standard offer.
NEES subsidiary Massachusetts Electric plans to combine its auction of standard-offer supply requirements with that of its Rhode Island affiliate, The Narragansett Electric Co. The auction was scheduled for September.
"The diversity of bidders will make for a dynamic auction," said Narragansett Electric Co. President Robert McCabe.
The twelve companies allowed to bid at the auction are: American National Power; Citizens Power Sales; The Energy Group; Consolidated Edison Co. of New York; CRSS Inc., Enron Power Marketing; New England Power; Northeast Utilities Service; PacifiCorp Power Marketing; PECO Energy Co. Power Team; ProMark Energy; USGen Power Services; and Williams Energy Services. t