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.
The Rift Over Affiliate Conduct
Does FERC have the backbone for another jurisdictional turf war?
FERC's notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) on uniform standards of conduct for transmission providers seemed rather innocuous at the time of its release. However, FERC's prediction about the controversial nature of the bundled sales portion of the NOPR proved accurate.
Resource Planning: The Need for a New Approach
New market risks have called on utilities to evaluate an expanding array of new resource options—with antiquated tools to evaluate them.
The choices faced by utilities in meeting still-present demand obligations have exploded, while the capability needed to evaluate those choices has shrunk.
The Perils of Greenfield Gas Development
Sempra promised regulators they’d build a new utility, but Nova Scotia is still waiting.
A major gas discovery offshore Nova Scotia-3.5 trillion cf, based on conservative estimates-is generating healthy financial earnings for participating producers and pipelines. But residents and small businesses in Nova Scotia aren't seeing a molecule of gas flowing their way.
Pat Packs a Punch
FERC's new chairman runs roughshod over a reeling industry.
By a vote of 3-1, FERC had crowned the Midwest Independent System Operator—MISO—as belle of the ball. In so doing, it scorned the proposed Alliance Regional Transmission Organization.