Chairman and CEO, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.
Richard Stavros is Fortnightly's Executive Editor.
Fortnightly: Is there an ideal utility structure that you favor, given that you are a company that has vertically integrated utilities, pipelines, and distribution companies all under one roof?
Sokol: We’re just in the wires business in the UK, which is the regulated side of that business, and then we have vertically integrated assets here in 10 U.S. states, and we have pipelines as well. We are fine in any of those sectors; we prefer the regulated side of the business. We think most states in the United States will continue toward maintaining the vertically integrated model because of the ability to manage long-term cost to the consumer more predictably. But some areas are looking at various types of potential partial deregulation. To the extent those are structured properly and all parties understand the risks involved, I think those are areas we can participate in as well.
I think the right structure really has to do with the state and federal views in the various locations.