POWER BRIEFS
FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2001



* * * DELIVERING ON THE STRATEGY  - On Tuesday, May 30th, NewPower celebrated a record-breaking day in customer sign ups. Between the Charlotte and Herndon facilities, and the company's outbound telemarketing efforts, NewPower booked more than 1,300 accounts for the day!  Approximately 572 new customers called in to our center to come onboard for a gas plan, while approximately 390 called in for electric.  Total (gas and electric) residential outbound telemarketing efforts for the day brought in approximately 287 new customers, while outbound telemarketers enrolled approximately 63 new small commercial customers.  Since August, NewPower has enrolled roughly 120,000 gas and electric customers.  The count for the end of June is estimated at 124,000 (this does not take into account Tuesday's remarkable results).  This is the beginning of great things to come for NewPower's marketing and customer contact efforts.   Please share the great news with contractors and consultants.


OTHER ENERGY NEWS - NewPower shares news items weekly to inform employees about coverage of the energy industry.  Publication of a news clip is not an endorsement of its viewpoint or accuracy.


CHENEY SAYS DESPITE SENATE SHIFT, LONG-TERM ENERGY POLICY NEEDED - [Oil & Gas Journal, May 25.]  US Vice-Pres. Dick Cheney Friday said policy makers should not yield to political expediency and continue ignoring the nation's long-term energy needs. http://ogj.pennnet.com/articles/web_article_display.cfm?Section=OnlineArticles&ARTICLE_CATEGORY=TOPST&ARTICLE_ID=102299

MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC FIRMS ASK REGULATORS TO RAISE RATES - [Boston Globe, May 26.]  Two big utilities that serve electric customers in Central Massachusetts yesterday filed for fuel charge increases for residential customers. The rate increases being sought by Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Co. and Massachusetts Electric Co. apply to "standard offer" service and follow the filing a week ago by NSTAR Electric for fuel charge increases in its standard offer and default service generation rates. Massachusetts Electric, a retail arm of National Grid USA in Westboro, also filed yesterday seeking to increase its standard offer by the same amount -- 1.23 cents -- from 5.401 per kWh to 6.631 cents per kWh.  The rate increase would add $6.15 to the monthly bill of typical residential customer using 500 kilowatts, pushing it from $56.54 to $62.69. http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CoW8Qqaicr0WTruXfq1rssum&FQ=%22fitchburg%20gas%22&Nav=na-search-&StoryTitle=%22fitchburg%20gas%22 

ELECTRICITY-CHOICE PROMOTION PROGRAM STUDY IN MISCUES - [Columbus Dispatch, May 27.]  If you listen to the people who run Ohio Electric Choice -- the state's electricity-deregulation program -- the marketing plan has been a success. According to one survey, 62 percent of Ohioans are aware of the plan to allow them to choose their electricity provider. That compares with 38 percent who knew of the plan before a multimillion-dollar public-relations and advertising campaign began last year.  But in real terms, the $11.2 million being spent statewide during the first 12 months of the five-year plan doesn't seem to have produced many tangible results. So far, only 150,000 residential customers in northern Ohio and 500 more in the central and southern parts of the state have switched suppliers.  There's been more success with community-driven efforts -- and with little noticeable assistance from the statewide promotional dollars. http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd01&DOCNUM=23614&TERMV=31224:6:31289:6:51808:6:


TEXAS PUC CHAIRMAN GAINS FEDERAL ENERGY POST - [Associated Press, May 27.] The Senate has approved President Bush's nomination of Pat Wood, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission, to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Also approved for the panel was Nora Brownell, a member of Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission. The two were unanimously approved Friday. http://www.dallasnews.com/politics/378308_wood_27nat.ART.html 

POWER FIRM CHIEF LISTS SOLUTIONS FOR CRISIS - [Los Angeles Times, May 27.] Kenneth Lay, the head of Houston-based Enron Corp., handed out a four-page plan detailing his solution to California's energy crisis at a meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and other state business and political leaders at a Beverly Hills hotel May 17. http://enehou-dj01.corp.enron.com/viewarticle.asp?folderid=8&AN=LATM0114700482 

BIZ SCHOOL GRADS REDISCOVER ENERGY - [Reuters, May 27.] Getting a job in the staid energy business hasn't exactly been considered the pinnacle of success for ambitious business school graduates.  Maybe it should be, since a national energy crisis makes conditions ripe for a resurgence of interest in the industry from both newly minted MBAs and experienced executives. http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/010527/business_energy_jobs_dc.html 

AGL TO SHUT OFF 4,000 MORE CUSTOMERS - [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 29.] Nearly a quarter of a million Georgia households are on Atlanta Gas Light Co.'s turnoff list, almost two months after expiration of a Public Service Commission-ordered moratorium on disconnections of natural gas service.  That's 16 percent of the 1.5 million homes and businesses in the state that purchase natural gas from unregulated marketers and are supplied through AGL's pipeline system. Most of the accounts on the disconnection list will never be actually turned off because customers will pay their bills or make payment arrangement with marketers. http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/newsatlanta/0529gas.html 

DON'T TURN BACK CLOCK, MASS. URGED - [Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 29.] A bill  would put Massachusetts on daylight-saving time year-round in an effort to save energy. 
Proposed by state Rep. William G. Greene, D-Billerica, it comes as skyrocketing electricity prices force California and other states to consider the change, too. http://www.telegram.com/news/page_one/savetime1.html 

TAPPING POWER OF SUPPLY, DEMAND - [Philadelphia Inquirer, May 30.] Regulating markets so they are more efficient will always involve controversial issues and politically charged decisions. But those are the right issues to argue about. The real energy policy question should be how - not whether - to make the market work. http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/05/30/business/CASS30.htm?template=aprint.htm 

COURT DECLINES ENERGY PRICE CAP - [Associated Press, May 30.] Gov. Gray Davis threatened to sue the federal government for help in his state's power crisis after an appeals court declined to order energy regulators to cap wholesale electricity prices. http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com/pages/cnniw/Story.nsp?story_id=21142293&ID=cnniw&scategory=Utilities 

CALIFORNIA'S DAVIS PRAISES BUSH DIRECTIVE ON NATURAL GAS - [Oil & Gas Journal, May 30.] California Gov. Gray Davis Tuesday praised President George W. Bush's directive to investigate high natural gas prices in the state, but confirmed they remained far apart on the "big enchilada" of temporary electricity price relief. http://ogj.pennnet.com/articles/web_article_display.cfm?Section=OnlineArticles&ARTICLE_CATEGORY=Elect&ARTICLE_ID=102547 


CUSTOMER SIZE, INCOME KEY TO DECIDING TO PARTICIPATE IN RETAIL CHOICE: NARUC - [Electric Power Daily, May 31.]  Customer size and income are two key factors affecting participation in retail choice programs for gas and electricity.  See p. 4 of the following link: http://home.enron.com/pubs/powerdaily/data/powerdaily.05.31.2001.pdf 

MEDIA QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  "Admit it: The only comic relief in this energy crisis has been watching our leaders go at suppliers and each other like pro wrestlers or Jerry Springer guests."   - Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2001 

OF INTEREST * * * WHAT THEY'RE SAYING - FINANCIAL ANALYSTS ON THE COMPANY'S FIRST QUARTER 2001 RESULTS
"NewPower Holdings remains an attractive Long Term Buy as the first nationally branded provider of electricity and natural gas to residential and small commercial customers in the United States.  Unlike traditional utilities, which have service areas defined by geography, NPW is targeting select opportunities in deregulated markets throughout the country? We believe this remains an attractive high growth business proposition, particularly with a fully-funded business plan trading at approximately twice book value." - J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

"NewPower continues to grow with lower-than-expected costs, driven by strong growth in their Internet marketing efforts and their ability to acquire portfolios of customers at attractive prices?We like the concept.  We think timing is right for investing in the newly emerging Competitive Retail Energy industry?Being a first mover in this business in very important.  In our view, NewPower has clearly established itself as a credible first mover." - Salomon Smith Barney
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