Fortnightly Magazine - February 1 2002

European Power Forum: New Rules, New Players

Top executives and regulators discuss European liberalization and U.S. investment opportunities overseas.

Exclusive interviews with regulators from the UK and European Parliament, as well as Duke Energy International and TXU Europe Energy Trading, on investment opportunities and regulatory obstacles overseas.

Going Global: The Top 10 Risks

What utilities ought to know before doing business overseas.

An investigation into the top 10 risks of foreign investment shows the curses and the blessings of wanting to be a global utility.

Europe's Retail Markets: Building a Better Mousetrap?

Many have failed to attract customers in trying to bundle energy with other retail products. The Europeans may have found the right model.

It has been tried many times over—without significant success. But Europeans think they may be on to the right way to bundle power with other retail offerings.

Forgetting Someone, Mr. Secretary?

The DOE's new hydrogen car initiative won't get very far without electric utilities.

Secretary Spencer Abraham announced that the DOE and the nation’s carmakers would create a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen as a primary fuel for cars and trucks. He didn't mention how much the program would cost, how long it would take, or define what infrastructure the government would develop to support hydrogen transportation.

People (Feb 1, 2002)

National Fuel Gas Co. elected Philip C. Ackerman to chairman of the board. Roy McAllister has joined Mirant as senior vice president, external affairs. Chesapeake Utilities Corp. appointed three new members to its board of directors. And others ...

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

Enron's fall finds FERC toying with cost-based rates. But let's temper the nostalgia.

Enron may not be dead, but its death rattle is certainly being heard loud and clear. If Enron ever was king, will the new king be a scion that also is an aggressive advocate of deregulation? Or, will it be an aged consort, who yearns to return to the "just and reasonable" standard for rate regulation?

Opening Enron's Books

No bibliography ever looked so good.

This annotated list offers a sample of the books on Enron’s celebrated history. It aims to serve as a foundation for any scholar eager to develop an expanded bibliography of the available information resources on this seminal American corporation.

Western Europe: The New Hot Spot

New energy demands are testing power supplies and creating new opportunities for power plant development in some countries.

Europe may be ripe for power plant development, as demand for power is projected to outstrip supply in select areas. RDI opens up its European database and reveals what areas are hot for investment.
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