Electric Power news briefs, January 3
Atco Power, a unit of Alberta-based Atco Ltd., and the Alberta Balancing Pool Administrator said they have agreed with customer groups to allow the 144 Mw coal-fired H.R. Milner electricity generation station at Grande Cache to continue operating. This follows an agreement reached recently with Luscar Ltd. to supply coal to the station. The continued operation of the station will help meet Alberta's power requirements through the current period of tight supply. Continued operation of the Milner station was in doubt after the previous coal supplier went into bankruptcy.
Australia's Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has purchased 5% of Ocean Power Technologies Inc. (OPT), a US-based wave power generation company, the companies said. The agreement also gives Woodside the option to purchase, by 2012, half a million tonnes of carbon credits (CO2 equivalent credits) from OPT at a discount to prevailing market prices and a further option to acquire a 40% equity stake in OPT�s Australian-based subsidiary, Ocean Power Technologies (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
The University of Akron has signed a master energy services contract with FirstEnergy Services Corp., a unit of FirstEnergy Corp., under which FirstEnergy Services will serve as the university's energy manager, securing competitive prices for electricity, natural gas, and steam for the school's main campus in Akron and for its regional Wayne College campus in Orrville, Ohio. Terms were not disclosed.
North Carolina's two municipal power agencies made their annual debt payments Jan. 2, 2001, reducing total indebtedness from their ownership in Duke Energy (Duke) and Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) power plants to $5.4 billion. North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA) paid $67.8 million, while North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) paid $59.4 million for a total of over $126 million. The debt for NCMPA1 is scheduled to be paid off in 2019, and the debt for NCEMPA is scheduled to be paid off in 2025.
Mitsubishi Corp. has selected Calico Commerce Inc.'s Calico Market Maker, the company's one-to-many and many-to-many marketplace solution, to power Mitsubishi's internet-based international power exchange, Calico said. Mitsubishi will use Calico Market Maker to build its B2B Marketplace for the equipment and infrastructure needs of power companies throughout southern Asia. The exchange is expected to launch for maintenance and repair operations, enabling suppliers such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industrial Ltd. and buyers such as Asian Power Plant to conduct business transactions online.
National Water & Power Inc. (NWP), Santa Ana, Calif., a provider of utility submetering services and customer information systems software for utilities, reported closing a $10 million investment round led by DQE Enterprises Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DQE Inc. NWP will use the capital raised at its two core business units, NWP Billing Services and Open-c Solutions. The billing services unit installs radio-frequency submetering systems and provides utility billing and collection services for owners and managers of tenant occupied real estate.The Open-c Solutions unit provides the technology platform for NWP Billing Services. DQE Enterprises Inc. will have two representatives on the National Water & Power board.
Atlas Pipeline Partners LP said it expects to complete Jan. 5 the previously reported $2.75 million agreement to acquire the 100-mile gas gathering system of Kingston Oil Corp. in southeastern Ohio. Atlas said it expects, based on existing gas throughput and anticipated new volumes, the acquisition will be immediately add to the partnership's earnings.
Danaher Corp. said it has completed the previously announced acquisition of United Power Corp. United Power, with revenues of $40 million, designs and manufactures electrical power distribution units and other power quality products used to regulate and condition power in data, telecom, and factory applications. Terms were not disclosed.
AES NewEnergy Inc., a unit of AES Corp., reported it is the first to flow power under Ohio's electric deregulation plan, which began Jan. 1. The company has already contracted to supply electricity to more than 300 commercial and industrial accounts throughout the state. Ohio opened its electricity industry to competition on Jan. 1, allowing consumers to choose who supplies their electricity.
American Transmission Co. has assumed control of the transmission assets formerly owned by a number of Wisconsin utility companies, cooperatives, and municipal utilities, marking the initial operation of the first for-profit stand-alone transmission company in the country. Included in the transfer are transmission assets formerly owned by Alliant-Wisconsin Power & Light Co., Edison Sault Electric Co., Madison Gas & Electric Co., South Beloit Water Gas and Electric, Wisconsin Electric Power Co., and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. Wisconsin Public Power Inc. is contributing cash to the new company in lieu of transmission assets. ATC provides high voltage transmission service to utilities and retail electric cooperatives. ATC does not own distribution or generation. Those facilities and functions remain with the participating utility companies, who obtain transmission service from ATC.
London Electricity has completed the $593.5 million cash purchase of the 2,000 Mw coal-fired Cottam power plant in north Nottinghamshire from Powergen PLC, Powergen reported. Completion of the deal, first reported Oct. 16, follows merger clearance by the European Commission. Proceeds of the sale will be used to reduce Powergen's bank borrowings and will generally be applied to the needs of the business.
Alliant Energy Industrial Services, a unit of Alliant Energy, has acquired EUA Cogenex, Lowell, Mass, and Energy Assets (formerly known as Energy Performance Services), King of Prussia, Pa. Terms were not disclosed. Alliant said it will combine the two companies into a new company under the name Cogenex, which will supply on-site energy services, including energy infrastructure and mechanical systems; central plant construction and operations; demand side management programs; performance contracting; and peaking generation.
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. (SCE&G), the principal subsidiary of SCANA Corp, said it set a winter peak record of 4,076 Mw of electricity over a 1-hr period at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the second peak established by SCE&G customers this winter. The previous winter peak of 3,900 Mw was set Dec. 20. December 2000 was the coldest December on record in Columbia since 1917. The instantaneous day-rate use of natural gas going into the Columbia, SC, city gate reached a record 90 MMcf of gas Wednesday, while natural gas going into the Charleston, SC, city gate reached a record 78 MMcf. Normal instantaneous use into Columbia averages about 60 MMcf and Charleston, about 50 MMcf during the winter. SCE&G and South Carolina Pipeline have curtailed gas to about 250 interruptible industrial customers.