AURORA has recently released Version 6.0.  I have attached a PDF that
explains AURORA's new feature.  I have also included below a copy of our
latest press release.  For any additional questions that you may have
please contact me.

Regards,  

Joseph A. Smith
EPIS Inc.
Phone: 503-722-2023 Ext. 211
Fax:     503-722-7130
www.epis.com


 <<What's new - Version 6 Information.pdf>> 
EPIS Announces North American Electricity Market Software and Database
for Forecasting Wholesale Electricity Prices 

AURORATM V6 Electric Market Model, proven leading-edge software package,
released with ready-to-use data for all the reliability regions in North
America to forecast wholesale electricity market prices.  AURORA
delivers the speed for forecasting market prices and modeling
uncertainty using multi-driver Monte Carlo simulations including random
resource outages with random frequency and duration.

PORTLAND, Oregon-December 4, 2001-EPIS, Inc., developer of pace-setting
software for the electric-power industry, today announced the release of
the North American Electricity Market Database and Version 6 of its
market modeling software, AURORA*. 
Already the fastest tool of its kind, AURORA delivers the critical
dispatch speed for risk analysis--modeling uncertainty using
multi-driver Monte Carlo simulations.  This swiftness, coupled with
market-simulated capacity-expansion logic, frees up time for the model
to consider more resource options in producing revenue forecasts for
asset valuations. 
AURORA and its North American electric market database simulate
electricity imports and exports to produce price forecasts for market
areas and trading hubs.  New Version 6 features include simulating
random resource outages and expressing inputs and outputs in
international units of choice.  AURORA models random forced outages for
resources and the random frequency and duration of resource outages.
This new outage approach allows units to fail or return to service at
any time during the simulation.  AURORA input and output may be in any
currency, or any unit for expression of fuel heat content, heat rate
heat content and emission quantity. The newly released database greatly
reduces the research and data collection time to produce accurate
electric market price forecasts for all the reliability regions in the
United States and Canada.
"Delivery of ready-to-use energy data for all the markets in North
America is unique to the AURORA electric market model.  We are putting
powerful forecasting capability into the hands of energy professionals,
dramatically increasing their understanding of forces behind electricity
prices," said Warren H. Winter, EPIS President.
Resource developers use AURORA to determine the value of existing- and
future-generation units.  They also use AURORA to understand the
underlying drivers of the forecasts--invaluable information for power
marketers and resource developers and planners.  Energy traders use
AURORA to forecast hourly, on-peak and off-peak electric prices for
trading hubs.  AURORA gives them immediate access to the resource
dispatch stacks and electricity price forecasts of day and forward
trading.  Also, gas traders use AURORA to forecast gas demand from
electric generation for gas trading. 
A Windows-based model, AURORA runs on Pentium class computers under
Windows XP/2000/NT 4.0/ME/and /98/.  Complete electricity pricing
results are available in a matter of seconds or minutes, rather than
hours or days, and do not require lengthy set-up or run times.
AURORA V6 is being delivered to current customers of EPIS, including
major North American electric-energy providers, utilities, consultants,
and agency and planning groups.
For more information about AURORA contact EPIS at (503) 722-2023 or
visit www.epis.com.
EPIS, Inc., based in Portland, Oregon, provides information on
electric-energy prices and market value by applying fundamental economic
principles to the emerging competitive energy market.  The company is
the developer of the AURORA electric market model, uses AURORA to
produce market forecasts, and supports clients who use AURORA to
forecast and analyze the energy marketplace.