New Positions:
The Allegheny Energy Inc. board of directors named Florida Power & Light Co. President Paul Evanson its new chairman, replacing the retiring Alan J. Noia. Allegheny's interim president, Jay Pifer, assumed the duties of COO at Allegheny. Evanson had been with Florida Power and Light since 1992. He will be replaced temporarily by Lew Hay, chairman and CEO of FPL Group, until a permanent replacement is found.
The industry responds to FERC's new safety regulations.
Utility companies are scrambling to understand and comply with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002, which became law in December 2002. According to Daphne Magnuson, director of public relations at the American Gas Association (AGA), the act will require member companies to make significant changes during the next 10 years in how they operate.
Meeting tougher CO2 emissions limits will require deep pockets.
It's a tough problem that we have less than 22 years to solve. I had the occasion to chat with Dr. Henry R. Linden, Max McGraw Professor of Energy and Power Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, about how the U.S. power industry must face the necessity of sharply reducing its CO2 emissions while having to increase its summer electric generating capacity from 781 GW in 2000 to 1,174 GW in 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Experts say that many of the new policies by the PUC and the state legislature seem to be putting the Golden State on track for more blackouts.
Although California's electricity crisis reached its worst point two years ago, utilities, consumers, and other market participants continue to fear a recurrence of the supply shortages and price spikes that added $40 billion to the cost of electricity over a horrific 13-month period.
Regional demand resource banks, based on the Federal Reserve Bank system, would make for greater use of customer demand response mechanisms while ensuring long-term resource adequacy.
Demand response is the only resource available to electricity markets that is not plagued by long lead times, severe regulatory scrutiny, and environmental concerns.
Confirmed:
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, by an 18-2 vote, approved Joseph T. Kelliher's nomination to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Kelliher's approval follows his second nomination by President Bush. Bush also nominated New Mexico attorney Suedeen G. Kelly to fill the remainder of a five-year term expiring June 30, 2004.
California Gov. Gray Davis named Michael Peevey president of the state's PUC, replacing Loretta Lynch. Lynch was expected to remain with the commission until the completion of her term, in January 2005. Peevey has served on the commission since March of 2002. He previously was president of Edison International. Davis also appointed Susan Kennedy commissioner, replacing Henry Duque.
Richard G. Newman, chairman and CEO of AECOM Technology Corp., joined the Sempra Energy board of directors.
The Department of Energy is gambling on the wrong fusion approach and may needlessly burn up billions in taxpayer dollars in the process.
Fusion power research is at a crossroads. Continuing along the current path will almost certainly lead to major disappointment for one of the few long-term energy sources potentially available.