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Law & Lawyers

Coal: Paying a King's Ransom

What's causing price volatility, and will it last?

The long period of sub-full-cost pricing in the 1990s caused great rationalization in the coal industry, leaving a much healthier and sensible market. One consequence of this is that the floor price for coal in most regions has risen about 25 percent in the last few years. With natural gas prices expected to remain high for some time, those coal markets where ready capacity is at current demand levels will see steadily high prices.
Byline: 

Andy Roberts and Gary L. Hunt

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People

People for September 2004

Filled positions at the California PUC, PG&E Corp., FERC, and others.
Byline: 

PUf

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Irreconcilable Differences?

Imported natural gas contains more Btus and fewer impurities than the domestic variety, raising questions for LNG development.

While the gas industry is not yet ready to admit it, there may be a high price to pay to deal with the differences that come from an increase in imports of natural gas from overseas. But the alternative of not paying to avert a natural gas crisis would be irreconcilable.
Byline: 

Richard Stavros

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What is an Advanced Meter?

The technology behind demand-side response.

If energy legislation requires all utilities to offer demand-response programs, will your company be ready? A review of advanced metering is in order.
Byline: 

Sharon Allan

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Tapping Distributed Energy Resources

Voltage Regulation: Reactive power is the key to an efficient and reliable grid.

Last year’s blackout was driven, in part, by uncontrolled voltage oscillations, capping several years of voltage collapses among utilities. Are reactive power delivery and dynamic reactive power reserves part of the solution?
Byline: 

John D. Kueck et al.

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Gas Supply: Too little, Too late?

Pipeline and LNG terminal developments may arrive too late to prevent a natural gas disaster.

Alaska’s North Slope gas remains in the pipeline, so to speak, despite the efforts of industry heavyweights to bring the stranded resource to the lower-48 states. Meanwhile, LNG development is beset by questions of safety, siting, and permitting, leaving North America with high gas prices and little clarity about future supply.
Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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A Gas Crisis, or Not?

The conclusions made by the NPC gas study raise more questions than they answer.

The National Petroleum Council’s study on future U.S. gas supplies raises more questions than it answers. Before the industry acts on the study’s recommendations, it should re-examine the study’s many shortcomings.
Byline: 

Ken Costello

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Outsourcing & IT as a Strategic Option

Special ECM Section

In this quarterly ECM section, a series of articles in Fortnightly reviews the different outsourcing and IT options that are available and what utilities should consider before adopting outsourcing and IT technologies.
Byline: 

Richard Stavros

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