HOME | NEWSROOM | EVENTS | JOBS | BUSINESS CENTERS | DIRECTORIES | DATA CENTER   THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2001  	


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Click here for your FREE posting: http://www.energycentral.com/sections/jobs/        TOP STORIES     California Officials Say Electricity Price Controls Nearly Provoked Blackouts By Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. -- July 3 Confused by the federal government's new controls on electricity prices, generators withheld so much power from California on Monday that the state was nearly plunged into rolling blackouts, state officials said.     Duke Energy Details Pricing for Winter Power, Will Issue $20 Million Refund By Stella M. Hopkins, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. -- July 3 Fighting accusations of price gouging in California's power crisis, Duke Energy is discussing confidential pricing information in more detail than ever before.     Rolling Blackouts Sweep Through Las Vegas San Jose Mercury News, Calif. -- July 3 In one of the clearest signs yet that the power crisis is not just California's problem, rolling blackouts swept through Las Vegas on Monday afternoon in the city famed for its dazzling casino lights, the first forced outages to hit Nevada.     Hot weather strains southwest U.S. power grid July 3 (Reuters) Continued triple digit temperatures forecast on Tuesday across much of the Southwestern United States prompted heat advisories and renewed calls to conserve energy to avoid overloading the power grid.     Cal-ISO Emergency Triggers an Even Lower Benchmark Price July 2 (Special to Western Price Survey Contacts) As the California Independent System Operator weathered its first system emergency of the summer on July 2, the new price benchmark system kicked into place-and resulted in a price cap even lower than what had been in effect for non-emergency periods.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      Press Release      Henwood WSCC Analysts Predict Little to no Blackouts and Lower Prices For Wholesale Power This Summer July 2 (News Release) Henwood Energy Services, Inc. (Henwood) announced today that due to concerted actions taken mostly by utilities in the Pacific Northwest to mitigate power problems, they believe it's possible to avoid blackouts entirely in the summer of 2001 throughout the WSCC. Henwood's detailed analysis and updated forecasts are being made available to its WSCC Power Market Advisory Service clients and will be officially revealed at a "Western Energy Executive Roundtable" on July 12, 2001 at the Marriott Airport Hotel in San Francisco.      California Crisis      California Agency Backs Charlotte, N.C.-Based Energy Firm's Assertions By Stella M. Hopkins, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. -- July 2 A memo from the agency running California's power system says Duke Energy followed its orders during three days in January when the Charlotte company is accused of manipulating power supplies to maximize profits.      EDITORIAL: Experts Urge Californians to Play It Cool in Heated Energy Feud The Orange County Register, Calif. -- July 3 Maybe the one thing needed in the electricity crisis now is to end the accusations, recriminations and finger-pointing. A case in point is the controversy over Duke Energy Co.'s alleged price "gouging."      California Governor Goes to Bat for Energy Whistle-Blowers By John Howard, The Orange County Register, Calif. -- July 3 Gov. Gray Davis on Monday defended the three whistle-blowers who testified about conditions at a Chula Vista power plant, rejecting the plant owner's assertion that newly released documents discredit the men's allegations.      Contracts Indicate California Power Bills Will Exceed Governor's Forecasts The Sacramento Bee, Calif. -- July 3 California's power bills for the next decade probably will exceed the forecasts of Gov. Gray Davis, the State Controller's Office said Monday as it released unedited versions of long-term contracts in a new jab at the governor.      California Officials Insist Energy Company Manipulated Prices, Output By Brandon Bailey, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. -- July 3 Even as executives at Duke Energy were claiming vindication Monday, state officials insisted that newly released dispatch logs for the company's Chula Vista power plant don't necessarily absolve the firm of charges that it manipulated electricity prices.      California Power Use Continues to Decline By Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. -- July 1 Reaching a new high in conservation as the hottest summer months loom, Californians used 12.3 percent less electricity this June than last June, according to new state figures scheduled to be released today.      ACWA Urges Cpuc to Preserve Direct Access to Alternative Power Supplies As Best Protection Against Price Gouging Jul 03, 2001 - Business Wire Representatives of the single largest class of electricity users in California -- public water agencies -- are urging the California Public Utilities Commission to retain their powers to protect ratepayers from excessive costs by preserving the option to allow power users to select alternative suppliers.      Panel Oks Resolution on Power Plant Seizures Jul 04, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex California Gov. Gray Davis has been urged by the Senate Rules Committee to start taking control of power plants, in a move intended to pressure those electricity sellers outside the state who have been accused of taking advantage of the state's electricity shortage to engage in price gouging.          ADVERTISEMENT    Visit the industry's most comprehensive Data Center and gain on-line access to databases, specialty reports, rate tariffs and more! Find the information you need immediately at http://www.energycentral.com/sections/datacenter/         Competition & Deregulation    For reports and related information on this topic visit our Data Center      CPUC Vote Could Mark Final Death Sentence for California Direct Access By Will McNamara, IssueAlert, July 3 (Scientech) The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to issue a vote today that will pull the plug on electricity deregulation's core feature: the ability of customers to shop around for alternative power.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      ERCOT Now Assuming Direction of Texas Competitive Market Transition July 2 (Utility Spotlight) A key moment in the state's closely watched move toward deregulation of its power generation system is unfolding as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) greatly increases its responsibilities in directing the transition to a competitive marketplace.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      Texans See Mixed Results from Electricity Deregulation in Other States By Laura Goldberg, Houston Chronicle -- July 1 California continues to draw headlines as a case study for what can go wrong with electricity deregulation.      UPDATE 1-Calif. delays vote on retail power choice July 3 (Reuters) The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Tuesday said it was delaying until mid-August a vote on the future of retail power choice, one of the cornerstones of the state's power deregulation law.      Rates    For more information on rate tariffs visit Electric Rate Tariffs      Electric Bills in Northwest U.S. to Rise, But Not Too Much By Greg Bolt, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. -- July 2 Electric bills will take a bigger chunk out of household budgets in the Northwest this fall, but the bite won't be nearly as deep as energy managers feared just a few months ago.      Florida Utility Doesn't Want To Set Aside Money for Customer Refunds By Cherie Jacobs, Tampa Tribune, Fla. -- July 3 Disputing an order by state regulators, Florida Power Corp. doesn't want to set aside money for customer refunds, the utility said Monday.      Kansas Commission To Discuss Utility's Electric Rates By Dion Lefler, The Wichita Eagle, Kan. -- July 3 With nearly a quarter-billion dollars at stake, the Kansas Corporation Commission is scheduled today to give its first indication of whether Western Resources customers will pay higher or lower electric rates.      General      Utility's Call Center Gets an Earful from San Jose, Calif.-Area Residents By Dana Hull, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. -- July 3 The phone calls hit PG?like machine gun fire, 4,500 calls an hour, 45,000 calls a day: the woman wanting to know if she is exempt from rolling blackouts, the engineer convinced his gas meter isn't being read, the lawyer itching to argue the rate increases.      Deals/Contracts      Cogentrix Selects Kvaerner for US$200 Million Indiana, USA, Power Project Jul 03, 2001 - PR Newswire Kvaerner, the Anglo-Norwegian engineering and construction Group, today announced that it has been selected by Cogentrix Energy for final negotiations of the turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for an 810 MW power facility being developed by Cogentrix outside of Bedford, Indiana, USA.      Duke Engineering & Services to Provide Engineering Services To NMC-Operated Nuclear Plants CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 3 /PRNewswire/ Duke Engineering & Services has been awarded a contract to be one of three engineering services providers to six nuclear power plants operated by Nuclear Management Co. LLC.      Power Pricing/Supply      West Cash Holds Near $91.87 Proxy Price, Demand to Fade July 3 (Btu's Daily Power Report) Western power prices held to Monday ranges in Tuesday for Thursday activity with deals continuing to toy with the California Independent System Operator's proxy price still set at $91.87.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      Wholesale Power Supplier to Raise Rates 46 Percent for Seattle-Area Utilities By Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times -- July 2 The Bonneville Power Administration announced yesterday it is raising wholesale power rates 46 percent in October, a dose of bad news that wasn't nearly as bad as expected.      PNM to Serve Texas-New Mexico Power With Long-Term Power Sale; New PNM Power Plant Planned for Las Cruces Area Will Serve TNMP ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 2 /PRNewswire/ Texas-New Mexico Power and PNM, Public Service Company of New Mexico, have signed a long-term wholesale power contract to improve price stability and ensure an adequate power supply for TNMP's firm retail customers.      Power Projects      San Francisco Chronicle: Power Plant Battle Jul 03, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex An 11-page letter to be sent by San Francisco officials to the California Energy Commission will give the state energy regulator until August 15 to submit a revised preliminary assessment of plans by the Atlanta-based Mirant Corporation to build a controversial $260m-$320m power plant on Potrero Hill.      PSEG Power moves step closer to building NY plant July 3 (Reuters) Independent power producer and energy marketer PSEG Power said it took another step toward building a new power plant in New York.      Renewables      Japan Launches Study on Space Solar Power As Energy Source Jul 03, 2001 - Kyodo News The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said Tuesday it has launched a two-year feasibility study on developing solar power in space as an alternative source of energy.      Beijing Provides Solar Energy Equipment for Tibet Jul 04, 2001 - Xinhua News Agency The Beijing Solar Energy Research Institute presented 303 sets of solar energy devices to Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at a ceremony held Monday.      Plants      Alliant Says New System Cheaply Cuts Pollution at Coal-Fired Power Plants By Judy Newman, The Wisconsin State Journal -- July 3 Alliant Energy Corp. said it has developed a system to reduce air pollution at its coal-fired power plants at a fraction of the normal cost.      Ontario Takes Next Step to Stop Burning Coal at Lakeview Power Station Jul 03, 2001 - Canada NewsWire Taking the next step toward cleaner air and cleaner energy, the Ontario Government today released a draft regulation to stop coal burning at the Lakeview generating station in Mississauga.      People      New ORA Director Fills Long-Vacant Post July 2 (California Energy Markets) When Regina Birdsell took on the position of director of the Office of Ratepayer Advocates in April, she filled a post that had been vacant for five years.  Special Offer from this Publisher!      Nuclear      Wisconsin Nuclear Power Plant Returns to Full Power after Shutdown By Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- July 3 The Point Beach nuclear power plant returned to full power over the weekend after massive schools of alewives choked a water intake pipe, forcing operators to shut down one unit entirely and ratchet down the other.      Tennessee Valley Authority Reconsiders Options for Unfinished Nuclear Plant By Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times/Free Press -- July 3 The nation's last unfinished commercial nuclear power plant is getting a new look as a possible power source for the future by the Tennessee Valley Authority.      Energy Department Review Boosts for Paducah, Ky.-Area Nuclear Plants By Joe Walker, The Paducah Sun, Ky. -- July 2 Paducah and Metropolis, Ill., which now provide the sole work for two major parts of the domestic nuclear fuel cycle, are at the core of a major national policy review on nuclear energy.      Entergy Nuclear Revises Closing Date for Indian Point 2 Acquisition  NEW ORLEANS, July 3 /PRNewswire/ Entergy Corporation today said it expects to close its acquisition of the Indian Point 2 nuclear plant in mid-September 2001.      Experts Group to Study Nuclear Waste Deep Storage Jul 04, 2001 - Itar-Tass News Agency Research centres of the United States, Japan, South Korea, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan are developing cooperation in new technologies for deep underground dumping of nuclear waste, Japan's agency for nuclear fuel development told Tass on Wednesday.      Financial      Homestead, Fla., Electric Utility Hurt by Erroneous Budget Estimates By Karl Ross and Gregg Fields, The Miami Herald -- July 1 The director of Homestead's electric utility, for years the city's economic life-support system, alerted city managers in 1998 that overblown budget estimates likely would put the cash-strapped municipality millions in the hole.      Brazil : Petrobras Makes Additional Subscription Jul 04, 2001 - South American Business Information The additional subscription of R$1bil to be destinated by Petrobras for energy power sector, can harm its performance.      Pacific G?seeks reorganization plan extension July 3 (Reuters) Pacific Gas & Electric said on Tuesday it has filed a request with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to extend until Dec. 6 the period during which the utility has exclusive right to file a plan of reorganization.      International      UPDATE 1-EU to clear Spanish power aid plan July 3 (Reuters) The European Commission is set to approve Spain's multi-billion-euro programme of compensation for electricity firms, an EU official said on Tuesday, helping to boost shares in leading utilities.      Brazil: Northeast Region to Have Floating Power Facilities Jul 03, 2001 - South American Business Information The Brazilian Northeast region will count on floating thermal electric power facilities as of September. A 30 MW facility will anchor in Sao Goncalo do Amarante.      Brazil: Real Devaluation And Energy Crisis Affect Mergers And Acquisitions Jul 03, 2001 - South American Business Information The mergers and acquisitions business is being affected by high interest rates, the Real devaluation and energy rationing.      The "Nuova Edison" of Italenergia Jul 03, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Italenergia, the new energy consortium which has just launched public purchase offers on Italian industrial group Montedison and its energy division Edison, is based in Turin. Sergio Pininfarina is chairman.      Repsol Chairman Advocates Fresh Look at Nuclear Power Jul 04, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Alfonso Cortina, chairman of Spanish oil group Repsol YPF, yesterday advocated a return to nuclear energy as a means of guaranteeing future electricity supply in the light of increasing demand.      Het Financieele Dagblad: Shell Invests $25m in Chinese Joint Venture Jul 03, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Royal Dutch/Shell Group, the Anglo-Dutch oil group, will invest $25m in a joint venture in China.      Agip Seeks to Pre-Qualify Contractors for Thermal Plant Project Jul 04, 2001 - Africa News Service The Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited says it is ready to pre-qualify contractors for the development of its 500-Mega Watt thermal plant, according to an announcement placed by the company, Tuesday.      Brazil : Eletrobras' Program Did Not Attract the Sector Jul 04, 2001 - South American Business Information The program launched by Eletrobras in March 2001 that predicts the contracting of electric power from small sized hydroelectric facilities PCH-Com, can fail.      Chile: Public Bidding for Andina And El Teniente's Electric Supply Fails Jul 04, 2001 - South American Business Information Codelco initiates conversations with AES-Gener to see if this company can increase its energy generation for both divisions, Andina and El Teniente.      Chile: Ralco Power Plant's Operations Delayed between Five And Six Months Jul 04, 2001 - South American Business Information Codelco initiates conversations with AES-Gener to see if this company can increase its energy generation for both divisions, Andina and El Teniente.      EBRD Acquires 19% of Three Power Distributors Owned by Union Fenosa Jul 04, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed an agreement with Spanish power utility Union Fenosa to acquire 19 per cent of the Spanish company's Moldavian electricity distribution companies for $5m (Pta985m).      Shell Forces Breakthrough in Electricity Sector Jul 04, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Anglo-Dutch oil group Royal Dutch/Shell Group is entering the Dutch electricity sector, as it is building an electricity plant in Rotterdam in co-operation with US energy group Bechtel.      Montedison, Immediate Clash Over Board Jul 04, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Having launched their takeover bid for Italian industrial group Montedison and its energy core Edison, Italian automotive group Fiat and French electricity group Electricite de France (EdF) have requested that Montedison summon a shareholders' meeting to replace the current directors.        If you are an Energy Central News Subscriber and you have checked any news articles above, selecting the 'Get Articles' button below will deliver all of the checked articles in one page. This is a convenient way to get exactly the news you need - quickly!           NEED INFORMATION ON THE POWER INDUSTRY? 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