Energy transition
Energy bill enters into Senate
The US energy bill was presented to Congress in late November. But while it contains a wide range of provisions, ranging from tax incentives to improvements in reliability, critics say the bill still needs work. Joe Marsh reports
Nuclear renaissance
Both Canadian and US governments want to bring more nuclear power capacity online, but will the private investors come? By Catherine Lacoursière
Richard Rosen
Richard Rosen of the Tellus Institute in Boston controversially believes thatthere is no need for a wholesale power market. By Paul Lyon
Goldman Sachs buys 3,300MW of power generation capacity
Godman Sachs has agreed to buy US power producer Cogentrix, in a deal that willmore than quadruple the bank’s generation capacity. JoeMarsh reports
Barrier to entry
Bank of America and UBS are still trying to overcome obstacles that could prevent them entering physical power trading in the US. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations represent the biggest obstacle. Paul Lyon reports
Pieter Verberne
Pieter Verberne, Amsterdam PowerExchange’s (APX) chief operatingofficer, is a busy man. The Dutchexchange is finalising the technologyupgrading of its recent acquisitions, naturalgas exchange Enmo and Automated PowerExchange, both based in the UK. It is…
US body calls for electricity reliability organisation
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) says the creation of an electricity reliability organisation with regulatory oversight is vital for developing and enforcing mandatory reliability rules and standards for US power sector participants.
Switching off to save cash
High electricity price volatility over the European summer has raised awareness of interruptible power contracts, finds James Ockenden
Farms weather power shortages
Farmers in both hemispheres are struggling to cope with heat waves and droughts while pondering the prospect of future power supply disruptions, finds Maria Kielmas
LNG could rescue the US
Sandy Fielden of energy market specialist Logical Information Machines looks at a potential solution to the US natural gas supply crisis: liquefied natural gas
All talk, no action
Cancelled power plant auctions and the complexities of asset debt structures are bad news for the boutiques set up to acquire power assets. The boutiques talk a good business plan – but execution may prove troublesome, as Paul Lyon discovers
People Swaps
ABN Amro hires global energy trading head Dutch bank ABN Amro has hired Jonathan Arginteanu to the newly created positionof senior vice-president and deputy head of global energy trading operationsin New York. He was previously head of rival bank BNP…
LNG not a short-term supply fix, warns US research firm
Liquified natural gas (LNG) will have a minimal impact on a significant US gas storage shortfall in the winter of 2003/2004, despite its long-term promise, says Energy Security Analysis Inc (Esai), a Boston-based research firm.
Austrian rail firm on the risk management fast track
Austria’s largest electricity consumer, rail firm Österreichische Bundesbahnen, talks to EPRM about its energy risk management strategy. And, as Paul Lyon discovers, other end-users could learn from the innovative company
In search of power solutions
Blackouts across Italy in early July highlight the need for power plant investment – and the new market operator says promotion of derivatives trading is necessary to encourage such investment. But producers are yet to bite, finds James Ockenden
US coal trading picks up steam
While the coal market awaits pricing indexes to reinvigorate trading, emissions trading is getting a boost from increased coal burning. Catherine Lacoursière reports
People swaps
SG reshuffles project finance and utilities divisions SG Corporate & Investment Banking, a subsidiary of Société Générale, has named Matthew Vickerstaff and Roger Bredder as the respective heads of project finance for Europe and the Americas. London…
LNG may not fix gas supply problem
Despite its long-term promise, liquified natural gas (LNG) will only have a minimal impact on a significant US gas storage shortfall in the winter of 2003/2004, says Energy Security Analysis Inc (Esai), a Boston-based research firm.
US pushes agreement on carbon storage research
The US government has launched an international research and development programme to reduce power plant emissions by pumping carbon dioxide (CO2) into deep storage.
California’s master plan
California’s energy regulators have an action plan to upgrade the electricity system. But if they don’t add generation, shortages could again hit. Kevin Foster reports
Seeking an end to manipulation
Renewed allegations of manipulation of natural gas pipeline capacity in the US have been partly blamed on regulatory complacency. How can regulators put an end to the problems dogging the gas markets? Catherine Lacoursière reports
...while AEP exits Nordic energy trading
Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) last month completed its exit from theNordic energy trading market. The management team responsible for AEP’sactivities in the Nordic region will assume AEP’s Nordic trading book,office leases and related…
US power sector decline slows, says Fitch
The US power sector has seen little more than a slowing in the rate of its declinein 2003, said Richard Hunter, managing director of rating agency Fitch’sglobal power group, in May.