Eletrobras

Eletrobras (, full name: Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A.) is a major Brazilian electric utilities company. The company's headquarters are located in Rio de Janeiro.
It is Latin America's biggest power utility company, tenth largest in the world, and is also the fourth largest clean energy company in the world. Eletrobras holds stakes in a number of Brazilian electric companies, so that it generates about 40% and transmits 69% of Brazil's electric supply. The company's generating capacity is about 51,000 MW, mostly in hydroelectric plants. The Brazilian federal government owns 52% stake in Eletrobras, the rest of the shares are traded on B3. The stock is part of the Ibovespa index. It is also traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market and on the Madrid Stock Exchange.
History.
Eletrobras was established in 1962 during João Goulart's presidency.
Operations.
Eletrobras is an electric power holding company. It is the largest generation and transmission company in Brazil. Through its subsidiaries it owns about 40% of Brazil's generation capacities and controls 69% of the National Interconnected System.
Eletrobras stands as the biggest company of the electric power sector in Latin America.
Subsidiaries.
Among Eletrobras' subsidiaries, there are generation and transmission companies.
Eletronorte (Centrais Elétricas do Norte do Brasil S.A.) is responsible for the power generation, transmission and distribution in the states of Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Amapá, Tocantins and Mato Grosso.
Eletrobras Eletropar acts in participations of other energy companies.
CHESF (Companhia Hidro-Elétrica do São Francisco; São Francisco's Hydroelectric Company) generates and transmits electric power from hydroelectric plants to all of the cities in northeast of Brazil. It owns 14 hydroelectric energy plants and 1 thermoelectric energy plant. Sinval Zaidan Gama was made CEO in January 2017.
The main source of energy is the São Francisco River.
Eletrobras CGTEE is a Brazilian power company created on July 11, 1997. It is active in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
International activities.
Eletrobras was authorized by Act 11.651, sanctioned on April 7, 2008, to operate abroad as an investor in the power sector, by means of consortiums and/or specific purposes companies; it may also have control on enterprises. In order to coordinate this operation, it was created the Superintendence of Operations Abroad, which will operate following the guidelines of its board of directors.
For this first period, the Superintendence of Operations Abroad has set forth the priorities as follows:
1) Interconnect new sources of energy in Latin America with the Brazilian power system;
2) Promote the energetic integration between Brazil and the countries of Latin America; and
3) Prospect opportunities for investment in power energy in other countries to benefit the Brazilian economy by generating new markets for the goods and services suppliers segment.
The Superintendence of Operations Abroad has been developing negotiations with several countries in Latin America and Africa:
With Bolivia, Colombia, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Morocco and Nigeria the contacts are in their initial phase.


HVDC Moyle

The HVDC Moyle Interconnector is the 500 MW HVDC link between Auchencrosh, South Ayrshire in Scotland and Ballycronan More, County Antrim in Northern Ireland, which went into service in 2001. It is owned and operated by Mutual Energy.
Mutual Energy is a mutual company which manages the Moyle Interconnector (and some high pressure gas transmission assets including the Scotland - Northern Ireland Pipeline) for the benefit of Northern Ireland's energy consumers.
Work was completed in 2016 to replace the subsea sections of the LV return conductors with two new return cables. This was carried out by Nexans (Norway) with the aid of Morrows (N.I) and Romac Civil Engineering (N.I).
Specifications.
The HVDC Moyle Interconnector has a capacity of 500 MW. It consists of two coaxial 250 kV DC cables with integrated return conductors (IRC), each cable having a transmission capacity of 250 MW. The IRCs have failed through the events below, and their function restored by laying separate return conductors. The converter stations are equipped with light-triggered thyristors.
The converter station at Auchencrosh is connected via a single-circuit 275 kV overhead three-phase AC line, which is installed on delta-type pylon, to Coylton substation, where the connection with the high voltage grid of Great Britain takes place. The connection to Northern Ireland is then made through dual long monopolar cables, of which are submarine cables. The Ballycronan More converter station is connected into the Northern Ireland grid through two 275 kV circuits.
In August 2011, the interconnector went out of service. Repairs were made and the cable became operational again with 450 MW in February 2012. However, further faults meant that a major part of the interconnector had to be taken out of service until it could be augmented with the additional return cables, completed in 2016. This restored capacity to the full 500 MW.
In February 2017, the cable suffered another fault, halving capacity to 250 MW. However full capacity was restored in September 2017, following repairs by Nexans.
Intraday capacity trading is not available, but is being discussed.
Since November 2017 exports to Scotland are limited to 80 MW due to National Grid UK transmission constraints. However, 2-day ahead projections of wind in Scotland are used to allow flows of up to 300MW. The 80MW constraint is expected to rise to 500 MW by 2022
Moyle also provides frequency support services to both Eirgrid and National Grid. These services provide for fast change of power flow in the event of a network disturbance on either the NI or Scotland transmission systems.


Columbia Power Corporation

Columbia Power Corporation is a Crown Corporation, owned by the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its mandate is to undertake hydro-electricity projects in the Columbia River region of British Columbia.
In so doing, it is required to work with its sister crown corporation the Columbia Basin Trust.
Its assets include:


Electricity sector in Chile

As of August 2020 Chile had diverse sources of electric power: for the National Electric System, providing over 99% of the county's electric power, hydropower represented around 26.7% of its installed capacity, biomass 1.8%, wind power 8.8%, solar 12.1%, geothermal 0.2%, natural gas 18.9%, coal 20.3%, and petroleum-based capacity 11.3%. Prior to that time, faced with natural gas shortages, Chile began in 2007 to build its first liquefied natural gas terminal and re-gasification plant at Quintero near the capital city of Santiago to secure supply for its existing and upcoming gas-fired thermal plants. In addition, it had engaged in the construction of several new hydropower and coal-fired thermal plants. But by July 2020 91% of the new capacity under construction was of renewable power, 46.8% of the total solar and 25.6% wind, with most of the remainder hydro.
Chile's electricity sector reform, which served as a model for other countries, was carried out in the first half of the 1980s. Vertical and horizontal unbundling of generation, transmission and distribution and large scale privatization led to soaring private investment. The 1982 Electricity Act was amended three times in 1999, 2004 and 2005 after major electricity shortages. Further amendments are envisaged.
Electricity supply and demand.
Installed capacity.
There are four separate electricity systems in Chile:
The long distances between the four systems made their integration difficult, but after the 600 km SIC-SING 500 kV AC transmission project costing US$1bn came online in May 2019, Chile's northern grid (SING) and central-southern grid (SIC) are now connected into a single national wide area synchronous grid.
Total installed nominal capacity in April 2010 was 15.94 GW. Of the installed capacity, 64.9% is thermal, 34% hydroelectric and nearly 1% wind power, with nuclear absent. The SING is mostly thermal and suffers from overcapacity, while the hydro-dominated SIC has been subject to rationing in dry years.
Total generation in 2008 was 56.3 TW·h, 42% of which was contributed by hydropower sources. The remaining 58% was produced by thermal sources. This figure varies significantly from one year to another, depending upon the hydrology of the particular period. The electricity production grew rapidly since the start of natural gas imports from Argentina in the late 1990s.
Besides the new hydro projects (see Renewables section below), there are several large-scale thermal projects in the development pipeline for Chile. Numerous projects are being built, although other similar plants have been delayed due to opposition from locals and uncertainty about gas supply. It is this uncertainty that has directed new attention to coal-fired facilities, of which Chile already has several plants in operation, with a combined capacity of 2,042 MW. In addition, as of April 2010, there are plans to build new plants for a total of 11,852 MW of new generation capacity.
By company.
The main companies involved, in terms of installed capacity, are the following:
A number of other companies account for the remaining 14% (2418 MW)
Imports and exports.
In 2003, Chile imported 2 TW·h of electricity (mainly from Argentina) while it did not have any exports.
Demand.
In 2007, the country consumed 55.2 TW·h of electricity. This corresponds to 3,326 kWh per capita, which is still low by developed country standards. It grew rapidly (6% per year) until 2006, but since then it has been stagnant.
Demand and supply projections.
In 2006 it was expected that electricity demand would increase at 5% per year in the period up to 2030. In that same period, the share of natural gas in the generation mix would increase to 46%. The installed capacity of natural-gas-fired electricity generation was expected to reach 14 GW in 2030 (to be achieved by the construction of 10 new combined-cycle gas-fired power plants), while coal-fired and hydroelectricity generation would each account for about 26% of the total electricity generation mix. As can be seen above, by 2020 trends were quite different.
Access to electricity.
Total electricity coverage in Chile was as high as 99.3% in 2006. Most of the progress in rural areas, where 96.4% of the population now has access to electricity, has happened in the last 15 years, following the establishment of a National Program for Rural Electrification (REP) administered by the National Fund for Regional Development. Under this Fund, there is tripartite funding of the capital costs of rural connections: users pay 10%, companies 20% and the state provides the remaining 70%, with users expected to pay for running costs.
Service quality.
Interruption frequency and duration.
In 2002, the average number of interruptions per subscriber was 9.8, while the total duration of interruptions per subscriber was 11.5 hours in 2005. Both numbers are below the weighted averages of 13 interruptions and 14 hours for the LAC region.
Distribution and transmission losses.
Distribution losses in 2005 were 6.52%, down from 8% a decade before and well below the 13.5% LAC average.
Responsibilities in the electricity sector.
Policy and regulation.
The National Energy Commission (CNE), created in 1978 to advise on long-term strategies, is responsible for advising the Minister of Economy on electricity policy and for setting of regulated distribution charges. The Energy Superintendence (SEC) is responsible for supervising compliance with laws, regulations and technical standards for generation, production, storage, transportation and distribution of liquid fuels, gas and electricity. In turn, the Minister of Energy formally imposes the regulated tariffs and retains control over the issuing of rationing decrees during periods of drought when there is a shortage of hydro-electric generation capacity. Further responsibilities in the electricity sector are also held by the Superintendence of Secure Values (SVS), which is in charge of taxation, as well as directly by the regions and municipalities.
Generation, transmission and distribution.
Since the privatization of the Chilean electricity sector in 1980, all generation, transmission and distribution activities have been in private hands. There are 26 companies that participate in generation, although three main economic clusters control the sector: Endesa group, AES Gener and Tractebel (Colbún). The situation is similar in the distribution sector, with approximately 25 companies, in which the major companies include CGE Distribución S.A., Chilectra S.A., Chilquinta Energía S.A., and Inversiones Eléctricas del Sur S.A. (Grupo SAESA). In transmission, there are 5 players. In the Central Interconnected System (SIC), the most important player is Transelec, a pure transmission company which controls almost the entire transmission grid that serves the SIC. In the other interconnected systems, the large companies generation or the large clients are the owners of the transmission systems.
The Central Interconnected System (SIC) serves principally household consumers, while the "Large North" Interconnected System (SING) mostly serves large industrial customers, primarily mining interests in Chile's northern regions. The largest generating company in the SING is Electroandina, owned by Tractebel and Codelco.
Renewable energy resources.
In January 2006, new legislation was passed to apply the benefits included in Short Laws I & II (see Recent Developments section below for details) to renewable energy production. The new regulation provided for exemptions in transmission charges for new renewable energy sources (i.e. geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, tidal, small hydropower and cogeneration) below 20 MW of capacity. It also simplified the legal procedures for projects below 9 MW. Previously, besides hydro, no other renewable source had a significant contribution to the Chilean energy mix, but this has changed.
Hydro.
Historically, hydroelectric plants have been the largest power source in Chile. Periodical droughts have, however, caused supply shortfalls and blackouts, which led the government to increase diversification in the country's energy mix in the 1990s, mainly through the addition of natural-gas-fired power plants. Nevertheless, hydropower projects continued to be carried out, with the 570 MW Endesa's Ralco plant, on the Biobio River, being the best example as the largest power plant in Chile. The construction of this plant was long delayed by opposition from local residents and environmental activists, but it finally began operations in 2004, the year when it also got the approval from Chile's environmental authority to be expanded to a capacity of 690 MW.
Furthermore, Argentina's gas crisis has revitalized other hydropower projects in Chile. In 2007–8, Chilean power generator Colbun completed three hydroelectric projects, the 70 MW Quilleco plant on the Laja River and the Chiburgo and Homito plants, with 19 MW and 65 MW generation capacity respectively. In addition, in 2007 Endesa started operating the 32 MW Palmucho plant, which is to work in conjunction with Ralco's facility. Finally, Australia's Pacific Hydro and Norway's SN Power Invest are developing the 155 MW La Higuera and the 156 MW La Confluencia hydroelectric plants on the Tinguiririca River. The controversial 2,750 MW HidroAysén project was cancelled in 2014.
Solar power.
As noted above, solar power has surged, with 3.104 GW installed capacity and 2.801 GW under construction in July 2020. At a power auction in October 2015, three solar generators offered power at $65 to $68 per MWh and two wind farms offered power at $79 per MWh, vs. coal power offered at $85 per MWh, and an average price of $104.3 per MWh at an auction in 2008 with no wind or solar power offered. In the August 2016 auction, the Spanish company Solarpack was one of the winners with a proposal to sell power beginning in 2021 from a new 120 MW solar facility, Granja Solar, at $29.1 per MWh, an international record low price at the time. On March 2, 2020, Solarpack began supplying power from Granja Solar, 10 months early; rated at 123MW, this raised Solarpack's current Chilean capacity to 181MW.
Wind and geothermal.
In the year 2008, wind power amounted to 0.05% of the total electricity generation, but was projected to grow rapidly in coming years. By August 2020 2,242 MW, 8.8% of the National Electric System's installed generating capacity, was wind power, and wind power was also 25.6% of the 5,990 MW in additional capacity currently under construction. Because southern Chile receives prevailing westerlies of the roaring forties and furious fifties, it has some of the most promising wind power potential in the world.
At the turn of the century, there was increasing interest in the country's geothermal potential. In 2006, after a surveying campaign, a consortium formed by the National Petroleum Company (ENAP) and Enel requested a concession to develop geothermal resources in the El Tatio region in the North. In August 2020 Chile had 45 MW of installed geothermal generating capacity, 0.2% of the national generating capacity.
History of the electricity sector.
Electricity sector reform of 1982.
Chile represents the world's longest running comprehensive electricity reform in the post-World War II period. The reform was led by the 1982 Electricity Act, which is still the most important law regulating the organization of the electricity sector in the country. The reform was similar to the UK's model and started with vertical and horizontal unbundling of generation, transmission and distribution in 1981. According to Cambridge economist Michael Pollitt, the reform is widely regarded as a successful example of electricity reform in a developing country and has been used as a model for other privatizations in Latin America and around the world.
In the period 1970–73, Salvador Allende's government had undertaken a process of nationalization of many large companies, including utilities and banks. By 1974, inflation, high fuel prices and price controls had led to large losses and lack of investment in electric utilities, which were then under public ownership. The subsequent military dictatorship, under Augusto Pinochet, decided to reorganize the sector through the introduction of a different economic discipline. The government returned large state owned companies, including electricity, to their previous owners, an action that was followed by improving rates of return on capital. In addition, the 1985 reform of the Chilean pension fund system, which operated through Pension Fund Management Companies (AFPs), preceded the privatization of utilities, which began in 1986. By the end of the 1990s, foreign firms had gained majority ownership of the Chilean electricity system.
During the initial restructuring of the electricity industry Endesa, a state-owned company since 1944, was divided into 14 companies. Before the division Endesa had extensive generation, transmission and distribution assets throughout the country. The companies generated from Endesa's division included 6 generation companies (including Endesa and Colbun), 6 distribution companies and 2 small isolated generation and distribution companies in the South. Chilectra, privately owned since 1970, was split into 3 firms: a generation company (Gener) and two distribution companies.
The high levels of investment that have been attained since 1982 have enabled the expansion of the Central Interconnected System (SIC) from 2,713 to 6,991 MW (4.1% p.a.) and of the Northern Interconnected System (SING) from 428 up to 3,634 MW between 1982 and 2004.
Recent developments.
There have been various attempts to modify the 1982 Electricity Act ("Ley General de Servicios Eléctricos") with the purpose of adjusting to developments in the sector over the last 20 years. The first successful attempt happened in 1999, which led to electricity rationing after the drought of 1998–99, the worst one in 40 years, causing blackouts from November 1998 to April 1999 (with a total of 500 GW·h of electricity not being supplied). However, the most important modifications date from 2004, with Law 19,940, known as "Ley Corta I" (Short Law), and 2005, with Law 20,018, known as "Ley Corta II" (Short Law II), which sought to address some of the most pressing shortcomings of the current system. However, according to Cambridge economist Michael Pollitt, more comprehensive legislation is still needed.
Major problems have resulted from the aftermath of the 2002 Argentine crisis. In Argentina, sharp economic recovery has boosted energy demand and led to power cuts. This led Argentina to unilaterally decide, in 2004, on a reduction of its gas exports to Chile, which had been subject to a 1995 treaty between the two countries. These cuts have had serious implications for Chile, leading to an expensive substitution of fuel oil for gas in the midst of a shortage of hydroelectric capacity. In addition, gas supply shortages fueled the debate for investment in expensive liquid natural gas (LNG) import facilities. Construction of the country's first liquefied natural gas re-gasification plant, at Quintero (Region V), near the capital city of Santiago, started in 2007 under the coordination of the state oil company Enap (National Petroleum Company). The partners are British Gas, with 40% of the shares, while ENAP, ENDESA and METROGAS have 20% each. The project is built under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract by the Chicago Bridge & Iron company, while BG will be the long term supplier of LNG. The plant received project finance for US$1.1 billion from a consortium of international banks and is due to start operating in July 2009.
The Chilean government, as an additional response to secure electricity supply, proposed a new bill to the National Congress in August 2007. The main objective of this bill is to minimize the negative consequences derived from a generator's failure to meet its contracted supply obligations (i.e. due to bankruptcy). In such an event, the new law would mandate the rest of the generators to assume the obligations of the failed company. In addition, the National Energy Commission (CNE) has recently approved Resolution No.386, a new piece of legislation that will allow regulated final consumers to receive economic incentives to reduce their electricity demand.
In 2008, a special law for non conventional renewable energy was approved (Ley 20.257), which requires that, from 2010 onwards, at least a 5% of the energy produced by the medium and large generator sector be from non conventional renewable energy sources. This quota will increase by 0.5% per year from 2015 onward, to reach a 10% requirement in 2024. A 2015 report addresses the challenges of the system.
Tariffs, cost recovery and subsidies.
Tariffs.
In 2005, the average residential tariff was US$0.109/(kWh), while the average industrial tariff was US$0.0805/(kWh). These tariffs are very close to the LAC weighted averages of US$0.115 for residential consumers and 0.107 for industrial customers.
Subsidies.
Electricity subsidies in Chile aim to temper the impact of rising electricity tariffs on the poorest sectors of the population. In June 2005, Law 20,040 established an electricity subsidy for poor Chilean families. As mandated by the law, the subsidy will be triggered when electricity tariffs for residential, urban or rural users face an increase equal to or above 5% during a period equal to or below six months. This measure was first applied between June 2005 and March 2006, when it targeted 40% of the total population (about 1,250,000 families). The subsidy was triggered a second time from February to March 2007, when it benefited 32,000 clients in the Second and Third Regions of the country. More recently, the government has announced a new application of the subsidy to benefit an estimated 1,000,000 households between December 2007 and March 2008. The total amount of the subsidy (US$33 million) will triple the resources committed in previous campaigns and is a response to rising electricity prices caused by the increasing use of diesel as a substitute for natural gas and the low precipitations of 2007, which have hindered hydropower generation.
Investment and financing.
Investment requirements in electricity generation, transmission and distribution over the period to 2030 are estimated to be between US$38–49 billion.
Summary of private participation in the electricity sector.
As a result of the 1982 reform of the electricity sector, 100% of generation, transmission and distribution activities in Chile are in the hands of private companies. Endesa group (5223 MW ; 32,8%), AES Gener (2642 MW 16,6%), Colbún (2591 MW, 16,3%) and Engie (1856 MW ; 11,6%) control the largest part generation sector, in which a total of 26 companies participate. The distribution sector, with about 25 companies, is also dominated by four main groups: CGE Distribución S.A., Chilectra S.A., Chilquinta Energía S.A., and Inversiones Eléctricas del Sur S.A.(Grupo SAESA). As for transmission, Transelec is the largest owner of the transmission grid, followed by CGE transmission. There are some minor exceptions to the 100% private production of electricity, such as the case of the Chilean Air Force providing power for the Chilean installations in Antarctica.
Electricity and the environment.
Responsibility for the environment.
CONAMA (National Commission for the Environment) was created in 1994 and acts as coordinator of the Government's environmental actions. CONAMA is chaired by a Minister and is integrated by several different Ministries (e.g. Economy, Public Works, Telecommunications, Agriculture, Health, etc.) In July 2007, faced with the need for early installation of new back-up capacity in the National Interconnected System (SIC), the Energy Ministry urged CONAMA to grant maximum priority to the environmental assessment of the projects related with the installation of emergency turbines.
Greenhouse gas emissions.
OLADE ("Organización Latinoamericana de Energía") estimated that CO2 emissions from electricity production in 2003 were 13.82 million tons of CO2, which represents 25% of total emissions for the energy sector. It is estimated that, by 2030, emissions from electricity generation will account for the largest share of emissions from the energy sector, 39% (some 74 million tons) of the total.
CDM projects in electricity.
Currently (September 2007), there are eight energy-related registered CDM projects in Chile, with expected total emissions reductions of about 2 million tons of CO2e per year. The breakdown of the projects is as follows:
"Source": UNFCCC
Legislation.
The main legal framework for the electricity sector in Chile is the "General Law of Electric Services (DFL-4)", a rather liberal framework which enables private investment in generation, transmission and distribution. Generation has been structured as a competitive market, whilst transmission and distribution are regulated. The Chilean model for the electricity market was very innovative in its time and has served as a model for several Latin American countries. It has allowed the Chilean company, Endesa, to expand successfully in the region. See the complete "legal framework for the electricity sector in Chile".
External assistance.
World Bank.
Currently, the World Bank is funding a Project for Infrastructure Development in Chile. A US$50.26 million loan was approved in 2004 with the objective of increasing the effective and productive use of sustainable infrastructure services by poor rural communities from selected territories in the regions of Coquimbo, Maule, Biobío, Araucanía and Los Lagos. The project, to be completed in 2010, seeks, among other goals, to improve quality of conventional electricity services and to promote off-grid and renewable energy solutions, such as generators, solar panels and wind turbines.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The Inter-American Development Bank has provided funding for three active electricity-related projects in Chile.


Ontario Power Authority

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) was an independent, non-profit corporation established through the Electricity Restructuring Act, 2004 (Bill 100). Licensed by the Ontario Energy Board, it reported to the Ontario legislature through the Ministry of Energy.
The OPA was responsible for:
In April 2012, the Energy Minister of Ontario Christopher Bentley introduced legislation in Parliament to merge the Ontario Power Authority and the Independent Electricity System Operator. Ontario Power Authority merged with IESO on January 1, 2015.


Delmarva Power

Delmarva Power is an energy company that provides electricity and natural gas to customers on portions of the Delmarva Peninsula in the states of Delaware and Maryland. The company is a subsidiary of Exelon.
Electricity and natural gas.
Delmarva Power has a service area located on the Delmarva Peninsula, serving much of the state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore region of Maryland. The company provides electricity to 312,000 customers in Delaware and 203,000 customers in Maryland as well as natural gas to 129,000 customers in northern Delaware. Delmarva Power has 961 employees and operates 10 facilities and 160 substations.
History.
The company was founded in 1909 as Delaware Power & Light, which served Delaware. In 1943, Delaware Power & Light acquired Eastern Shore Public Service Company, which served the Eastern Shore region of Maryland and the Eastern Shore region of Virginia. The name of the company was changed to Delmarva Power & Light in 1966 and Delmarva Power in 1972. In 1994, Delmarva Power announced it would acquire the Conowingo Power Company, the Maryland retail electric subsidiary of PECO Energy Company that served 35,000 customers in portions of Cecil and Harford counties, for $150 million. This acquisition was completed on June 19, 1995.
In 1998, Delmarva Power acquired Atlantic Energy, which owned Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey, for $968 million. The merged utility company became known as Conectiv Power Delivery. Conectiv Power Delivery was acquired by the Potomac Electric Power Company in 2002 for $5.4 billion, which resulted in Pepco Holdings being created as a holding company that owned both utility companies. In 2005, Pepco Holdings brought back the Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric names in place of Conectiv Power Delivery.
Between 1981 and 2006, Delmarva Power operated and maintained the municipally-owned St. Michaels Electric Utility, which served 4,000 customers in the town of St. Michaels, Maryland and surrounding areas, under a lease agreement. On October 15, 2006, the St. Michaels Electric Utility was acquired by Choptank Electric Cooperative for $12.2 million, ending Delmarva Power's lease of the system. In 2008, Delmarva Power sold its service area in the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, which consisted of 22,000 customers, to A&N Electric Cooperative and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative for $44 million.
On April 30, 2014, Exelon announced that it would acquire Pepco Holdings, the parent company of Delmarva Power. The merger was initially rejected by the District of Columbia Public Service Commission in August 2015, although other federal and state regulators approved of the merger. After revised terms, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission approved the merger on March 23, 2016, and the $6.8 billion acquisition of Pepco Holdings by Exelon was completed the same day. As a result, Exelon serves as the parent company of Delmarva Power.
In 2018, after Congress reduced corporate tax rates from 35% to 21%, Delmarva Power announced that they were reducing their annual power rate increase request for their territory in the state of Delaware by $26 million. Delaware state regulators requested public utility companies to calculate savings "to ensure that consumers will receive the benefits".
Community.
Since 2012, Delmarva Power had donated over $4.7 million to more than 750 organizations. Delmarva Power supports of educational, environmental, arts and culture, and community development organizations. Delmarva Power’s employees give thousands of hours in time and talent as board members, coaches, and volunteers to support community nonprofit organizations.


6N24P

The 6N24P (Russian: 6Н24П) is a miniature Russian-made medium gain dual, frame grid triode vacuum tube, intended for service as a cascode amplifier at HF through VHF frequencies. The construction of the tube is asymmetrical, with the control grid of the first triode section (pin no. 2) being internally connected to the internal RF shielding plate, thereby making the first section more suitable for common grid operation.
It is a direct equivalent of ECC89 and 6FC7 vacuum tubes.
Basic data.
Uf = 6.3V, If = 300 mA uM = 33 Ia = 15 mA S = 12.5 mA/V Pa = 1.8 W


Electricity sector in Australia

The electricity sector in Australia is historically dominated by coal-fired power stations, but renewables are forming a rapidly growing fraction of supply.
Due to its large size and the location of its population, Australia lacks a single grid that covers all states, but has a transmission grid that extends along the east coast from Queensland via New South Wales and Victoria to South Australia and also connects via submarine DC cable with Tasmania.
Since 2005, wind power and rooftop solar have led to a fast growing share of renewable energy in total electricity generation.
Statistical Summary.
Overview of Electrical Energy Supply in the National Electricity Market

Percentages of installed capacity (power in GW) and electricity production in (energy in TWh), "other dispatched" not included.
Electricity generation by fuel source in the National Electricity Market
"Solar" includes rooftop solar and solar farms, "other dispatched" (max 1.2 TWh) and "battery storage" (max 70 GWh) not included.
Electricity supply.
As of 2011, electricity producers in Australia were not building gas-fired power stations, while the four major banks were unwilling to make loans for coal-fired power stations, according to EnergyAustralia (formerly TRUenergy). In 2014, an oversupply of generation was expected to persist until 2024. However, a report published in 2017 by the Australian Energy Market Operator projected that energy supply in 2018 and 2019 is expected to meet demands, with a risk of supply falling short at peak demand times.
From 2003 to 2013 real electric prices for households increased by an average of 72%. Much of this increase in price has been attributed to over-investment in increasing distribution networks and capacity, and environmental policy impacts. Further price increases are predicted to be moderate over the next few years (2017 on) due to changes in the regulation of transmission and distribution networks as well as increased competition in electricity wholesale markets as supply and demand merge.
Privatization.
Since the 1990s the electricity sector in Australia has seen a wave of privatization. First in South Australia in 1999, then in Victoria in the late 1990s, then in New South Wales in the early 2010s.
In 2006, the Queensland Government announced plans to privatise the retail arm of Energex and its Allgas distribution network.
Renewable.
Renewable energy has potential in Australia, and the Climate Change Authority is reviewing the 20-percent Renewable Energy Target (RET). The production of 50 megawatts of wind power (power for nearly 21,000 homes annually) creates about 50 construction jobs and five staff positions. In recent years, wind and solar power have been the fastest growing source of energy in Australia.
Renewable electricity in Australia is available from a number of green energy suppliers that supply electricity from environmentally friendly energy sources that are renewable and non-polluting. The growth and development of the green energy industry was tracked in Australia by the ALTEX-Australia alternative energy index from 2006 to 2011.
In Australia renewable energy is accredited under the GreenPower scheme whereby all distributors are government audited bi-annually to ensure that customers are getting exactly what is described in their purchased products. In the 2009 settlement period there were 904,716 GreenPower customers Australia-wide, accounting for a total of 2,194,934 MWh of electricity generation, a 10% increase over 2008. This total electricity provision was divided between residential customers who purchased 1,001,195 MWh, and business customers who purchased 1,193,739 MWh. The largest nationwide distributors were EnergyAustralia, Origin Energy, and TRUenergy.
By the 2014 settlement period the number of GreenPower customers Australia-wide was at 497,406, and total purchases accounted for 1,279,281 MWh.
Wind power.
Wind power is a mode of production of renewable energy in Australia. Wind power is a rapidly expanding mode of renewable energy production in Australia with an average annual rate of growth in installed capacity of 35% over the five years up to 2011. As of December 2017, there were 4,455 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity and a further 18,823 MW of capacity was proposed or committed. In 2016, wind power accounted for 5.3% of Australia's total electricity demand and 30.8% of total renewable energy supply. At the end of 2016 there were 79 wind farms in Australia, most of which had turbines from 1.5 to 3 MW. In addition, 16 projects with a combined installed capacity of 1,861 MW are either under construction, constructed or will start construction in 2017 having reached financial closure.
Wind power in South Australia has 36.9% of Australia's wind power capacity, accounting for 40% of the state's electricity needs as of 2016 and the first year in which wind power was the leading source of electricity in the state. By the end of 2011 wind power in South Australia reached 26% of the State's electricity generation, edging out coal-fired power for the first time. At that stage South Australia, with only 7.2% of Australia's population, had 54% of Australia's installed wind capacity.
Victoria also has a substantial system, with just under 30% of the Australia's capacity as of 2016. In August 2015, the Victorian government announced financial backing for new wind farms as part of a push to encourage renewable energy in the state, which was expected to bring forward the building of a modest 100 MW of new wind energy in the state, worth $200 million in investment. The government expected that there were about 2400 MW worth of Victorian projects that had been approved but were yet to be built.
Solar power in Australia.
Solar power in Australia is a growing industry. As of December 2017, Australia had over 7,024 MW of installed photovoltaic (PV) solar power, of which 1,190 MW were installed in the preceding 12 months. In 2017, 23 solar PV projects with a combined installed capacity of 2,034 MW were either under construction, constructed or due to start construction having reached financial closure. PV accounted for 2.4% of Australia's electrical energy production in 2014/15.
Feed-in tariffs and renewable energy targets designed to assist renewable energy commercialisation in Australia have largely been responsible for the rapid increase. In South Australia, a solar feed-in tariff was introduced for households and an educational program that involved installing PVs on the roofs of major public buildings such as the Adelaide Airport, State Parliament, Museum, Art Gallery and several hundred public schools. In 2008 Premier Mike Rann announced funding for $8 million worth of solar panels on the roof of the new Goyder Pavilion at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, the largest rooftop solar installation in Australia, qualifying it for official "power station" status. South Australia has the highest per capita take up of household solar power in Australia.
The installed PV capacity in Australia has increased 10-fold between 2009 and 2011, and quadrupled between 2011 and 2016.
The first commercial-scale PV power plant, the 1 MW "Uterne Solar Power Station", was opened in 2011.
Greenough River Solar Farm opened in 2012 with a capacity of 10 MW.
The price of photovoltaics has been decreasing, and in January 2013, was less than half the cost of using grid electricity in Australia.
Australia has been internationally criticised for producing very little of its energy from solar power, despite its vast resources, extensive sunshine and overall high potential.
Storage.
Battery.
Some parts of the Australian grid are thinly connected and local outages have been common.
In Southern Australia a battery installation was performed to keep the local grid running until backup power could be bought on line. the Hornsdale Power Reserve is a grid-connected energy storage system co-located with the Hornsdale Wind Farm in the Mid North region of South Australia.
It is promoted as the largest lithium-ion battery in the world.
During 2017 Tesla, Inc. won the contract and built the Hornsdale Power Reserve, for a capital cost of A$90 million, leading to the colloquial "Tesla big battery" name.
In November 2019, Neoen confirmed that it was increasing capacity by a further 50MW/64.5MWh to a combined 185 MWh. The increased storage capacity was installed by March 23, 2020, and the increased power will follow later in the year.
National Electricity Market.
The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia for the connection of the synchronous electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale electricity market. The Australian Energy Market Commission develops and maintains the Australian National Electricity Rules (NER), which have the force of law in the states and territories participating in NEM. The Rules are enforced by the Australian Energy Regulator. The day-to-day management of NEM is performed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
The NEM began operation on 13 December 1998 and operations currently includes Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are not connected to the NEM. The NEM comprises five regions, with the ACT being in the NSW region. Tasmania joined the NEM in May 2005 and became fully operational on 29 April 2006 when the Basslink interconnector was fully activated. The Snowy region was abolished as a region on 1 July 2008 and the components split between New South Wales and Victoria. The Northern Territory has adopted parts of the National Electricity Law, with the Australian Energy Market Commission becoming the rule maker for the Territory for parts of the National Electricity Rules from 1 July 2016. Western Australia is also considering adopting parts of the NER.
The NEM operates the world’s longest interconnected power systems between Port Douglas, Queensland and Port Lincoln, South Australia with an end-to-end distance of more than 5000 kilometres, and 40,000 circuit kilometres. Over A$11 billion of electricity is traded annually in the NEM to meet the demand of almost 19 million end-use consumers. New South Wales accounts for about 25% of NEM.
States and territories.
Queensland.
Queensland, Australia's second largest state in terms of physical area (Western Australia is the largest), achieved the early leaders' dream of providing electricity to every home entailing a considerable degree of pioneering, innovation, and commitment. Queensland proved to be a pioneer in the supply of electricity in Australia, with the first public demonstration in Australia, the first recorded use for public purposes in the country, the first Parliament House in Australia and the first commercial operations in Australia all occurring in Brisbane.
Generation and limited distribution was initially the responsibility of local authorities, until a central state-based authority to coordinate the generation and distribution of electrical power was established in 1938. In the late 1990s, the electricity sector was restructured to enable integration with the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The history of power generation and distribution in Queensland can be considered in three major phases: Initial local generation and distribution; creation of a statewide body and the consequent creation of an extensive network; and the restructure to enable integration with the NEM.
Queensland is the most decentralised mainland state, and initial local generation and distribution was the only viable option for the supply of electricity in many instances. The creation of regional, and then a statewide network from 1945 enabled economies of scale and reliability to be obtained, particularly by generating plants. Within a decade of the statewide network being completed, the establishment of the NEM provided new commercial opportunities for generators and improved reliability of supply.
South Australia.
South Australia is rich in energy. It contains significant reserves of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil – although there are incentives to phase these out in favour of clean energy. The state also contains large amounts of uranium, including the world's single biggest deposit at Olympic Dam, which represents 30% of the world's total resource.
The State has seen a rapid increase in investment in renewable energy, and was the leading producer of wind power in Australia in 2011. South Australia has been noted for the availability of hot rocks suitable for geothermal electricity generation. The South Australian Government has released plans to make South Australia a green energy hub for Australia's eastern seaboard. During 2020, the state set new records for its lowest (379 MW) and highest (2,576 MW) grid power. Prices also fell, and were negative 10% of the time in the third quarter, but by a smaller amount than previously. This mainly occurred in September, when solar farms paid to supply power. Curtailment was 5.5%, mainly in the daytime. In October 2020, South Australia exceeded 100% of the state's electricity demand using solar power for the first time.
Tasmania.
A large proportion of Tasmania's power is produced by hydro-electric means. There are also a number of wind farms producing electricity. An underwater power cable, links Tasmania to mainland Australia. This connection was established in 2005. It allows for surplus electricity to be sold into the national grid. Alternatively electricity supply can also be imported if needed. The vast minority of the states power supply is classified as green energy.
Western Australia.
Western Australia has its own grid the South West Interconnected System which is not connected to the rest of country due to distance.
Northern Territories.
The Northern Territories have multiple grids, which are predominately run by two government owned companies, Power and Water Corporation and Territory Generation.
Energy efficiency.
Lower energy use could save A$25 billion, or A$840 per electricity customer, according to EnergyAustralia.


Kansai Electric Power Company

, also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan (including the Kobe-Osaka-Kyoto megalopolis).
The Kansai region is Japan's second-largest industrial area, and in normal times, its most nuclear-reliant. Before the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a band of 11 nuclear reactors – north of the major cities Osaka and Kyoto – supplied almost 50 percent of the region's power. As of January 2012, only one of those reactors was still running. In March 2012, the last reactor was taken off the powergrid.
Power plants.
Kansai Electric Power Company has 164 plants with a total production capacity of 35,760 MW.
Accidents and incidents.
Mihama accident in 2004.
On 9 August 2004, KEPCO reported that five of its employees were killed by a steam burst in the turbines housing building, at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture. The burst, according to KEPCO, was due to the neglect of mandated safety checks and there was no release of radioactivity.
2006.
On 22 March 2006, in Ōi Nuclear Power Plant, at the waste incineration facility area, where ash is packed in steel barrels, a fire broke out. Two workers were admitted to a hospital after inhaling smoke, but not in critical condition. No radiation leakage was monitored.
2011 aftermath.
The Kansai region is Japan's second-largest industrial area, and in normal times, its most nuclear-reliant. Before the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a band of 11 nuclear reactors – north of the major cities Osaka and Kyoto – supplied almost 50 percent of the region's power. But as of January 2012, only one of those reactors is still running. Meanwhile, power company employees are racing to reassure Japanese that plants are safe and necessary. In 2012, officials from Kansai Electric Power Co., "have gone door to door in towns that host its nuclear plants, conducting polls and answering questions".
Corruption scandal.
Eiji Moriyama, the former deputy mayor of Takahama now deceased, was the primary "fixer" between Kepco and businesses in Takahama. Beginning as early as 1987, Moriyama was a conduit for funneling cash and gifts to Kepco officials in exchange for kickbacks and contracts to real estate and construction-related firms. Moriyama received "consulting fees" for his help.
The earliest indication of the corrupt relations between Kepco and local businesses appeared in a report from the taxation authorities, regarding unreported income on "idle lands". This was followed by a report in 2011 that Kepco had sold scrap metal to a local company at below market value.
In 2012 it was revealed that a member of the town assembly of Takahama, Fukui, Tomio Yamamoto, had received as president of the real estate company OHC Fukui, over 100 million yen for the rent of an unused factory over four years from 2006 to 2010 from a subsidiary of Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) The factory was used for storage, but the rent was unusually high, almost double the market price. The money was apparently paid in return for promoting nuclear power. In September 2010 an opinion statement to reactivate the nuclear reactors was proposed by Akio Awano, the vice speaker of the town assembly. Yamamoto and two other town assembly members did sign the proposal before it was submitted to the assembly.
In 2014, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry cited Kepco for restraint of trade (社宅) in the purchase of transmission line equipment. After review, 240 employees were found to have been involved in the price rigging, and the company dismissed four vice presidents and four executive officers.
Overall, more than 380 cases were discovered where money and gifts had been exchanged for the awarding of contracts to businesses connected to Moriyama, including pay-outs to board members and the company's president. In response to these revelations, Kepco Chairman Makoto Yagi resigned in 2019, and Kepco president Shigeki Iwane resigned in 2020. Takashi Morimoto, executive vice president, became the new president.
Opposition to the dependence on nuclear power.
In August 2011 citizens of the prefecture Shiga, at the banks of Lake Biwa, started a lawsuit at the Otsu District Court, and asked a court order to prevent the restart of seven reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power Company, in the prefecture Fukui.
On 27 February 2012 three Kansai cities, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, jointly asked Kansai Electric Power Co. to break its dependence on nuclear power. In a letter to KEPCO they also requested to disclose information on the demand and supply of electricity, and for lower and stable prices. The three cities were stockholders of the plant: Osaka owned 9% of the shares, while Kobe had 3% and Kyoto 0.45%. Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka, announced a proposal to minimize the dependence on nuclear power for the shareholders meeting in June 2012.
On 18 March 2012 the city of Osaka decided as largest shareholder of Kansai Electric Power Co, that at the next shareholders-meeting in June 2012 it would demand a series of changes:
In this action Osaka had secured the support of two other cities and shareholders: Kyoto and Kobe, but with their combined voting-rights of 12.5 percent they were not certain of the ultimate outcome, because for this two-thirds of the shareholders would be needed to agree.to revise the corporate charter.
At a meeting held on 10 April 2012 by the "energy strategy council", formed by the city of Osaka and the governments of the prefectures, it became clear that at the end of the fiscal year 2011 some 69 employees of Kansai Electric Power Company were former public servants. "Amakudari" is the Japanese name for this practice: hiring officials that formerly controlled and supervised the firm: among these people were:
Besides this, it became known that Kansai Electric had done about 600 external financial donations, to a total sum of about 1.695 billion yen:
During this meeting some 8 conditions were compiled, that needed to be fulfilled before a restart of the No.3 and No.4 reactors Oi Nuclear Power Plant:
On 14 September 2013, the day before the no. 4 Oi reactor was scheduled to closed down for regular inspections, some 9000 demonstrators gathered at the Kameido Chuo Park and later marched close to JR Kinshicho Station and the Tokyo Skytree. They called for an end of Japan's dependency on nuclear power. The day after the Oi-reactor closed down, leaving Japan without any nuclear power for the third time in 40 years.
Business results.
Over the business year 2011-2012, which ends in March, Kansai Electric Power Co. was expected to suffer a loss of 250 billion yen or more, because of the growing fuel cost for thermal power generation. In the business year 2009 the net loss was 8.7 billion yen.


Riverstone Holdings

Riverstone Holdings is a multinational private equity firm based in New York City focused on leveraged buyout, growth capital, and credit investments in the energy industry and electrical power industry sectors. The firm focuses on oil and gas exploration, midstream pipelines, electricity generation, energy and power services, energy and power technology, and renewable energy infrastructure and technology. Riverstone has raised approximately $41 billion since the firm's inception in 2000.
History.
Riverstone was founded by Pierre F. Lapeyre, Jr. and David M. Leuschen, who had been instrumental in the formation of the Goldman Sachs Global Energy & Power Group in the mid 1980s.
The firm is based in New York and has offices in Houston, London, and Mexico City.
Riverstone and Carlyle closed on their first fund with $222 million of commitments in 2001. In June 2004, the firms completed fundraising for Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy & Power Fund II, with $1.1 billion of investor commitments, almost five times the size of the first fund. In 2006, Riverstone and Carlyle raised a pair of funds, including the third in its series of main funds, Carlyle/Riverstone Global Energy and Power III, which raised $3.8 billion of capital. The two firms also raised their first renewable energy focused fund, Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund I, with $685 Million.
Also in 2006, Riverstone was a member of a consortium of private equity firms including Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Carlyle Group that completed the $27.5 billion (including assumed debt) acquisition of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest pipeline operators in the US. The buyout was backed by Richard Kinder, a former president of Enron.
In 2008, Riverstone and Carlyle raised $6 billion for their fourth main energy fund, Riverstone/Carlyle Global Power & Energy Fund IV. Additionally in 2008, the firms raised a $3.4 billion Riverstone/Carlyle Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund II as a successor to the $685 million fund raised in 2006 to focus on renewable energy investments.
In 2009 the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ordered Riverstone Holdings LLC to pay $30 million in restitution after Riverstone Holdings employed fixers to get them business from pension funds controlled by "corrupt" state officials.
Then in 2013, Riverstone (operating without Carlyle) raised $7.7 billion for its fifth main energy fund, Riverstone Global Power & Energy Fund V.
In 2016, Riverstone raised $5.1 billion for its sixth main energy fund, Riverstone Global Power & Energy Fund VI.
Also in 2016, Riverstone raised its first flagship credit fund. In 2018 Riverstone raised $750 million for its second credit fund.
In October 2020 Riverstone's Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: DCRB) priced a $200 million IPO. In February 2021, Riverstone's Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation II (Nasdaq: DCRN) priced a $350 million IPO.
Operations.
As of 2020, Riverstone and Carlyle have six main funds focused on buyouts in energy, two credit funds, and a renewables investing platform with approximately $41 billion of total raised capital. It also manages Riverstone Energy, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Green/Environmental initiatives.
In June 2009, Riverstone/Carlyle acquired renewable energy company Pattern Energy Group LP, representing Riverstone's 10th transaction in the Renewable Energy Sector. Pattern Energy is one of the world’s largest private renewable energy companies, with large operating and development footprints in the United States, Canada, and Japan.
In March 2010, Riverstone/Carlyle made an investment in Enviva Partners LP. Enviva is one of the largest suppliers of wood pellets and other processed woody biomass in the world. These products are used by industrial customers.
The AES Corporation and Riverstone Holdings LLC announced on March 25 that they have committed up to 1 billion as a part of a new joint venture to develop a global platform of utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects. Together, these firms have provided $500 million of capital over five years to invest in PV solar projects around the world. This jointly owned entity is known as AES Solar, a developer and operator of utility-scale solar installations that will be connected to power grids that supply businesses. These installations consist of land based solar PV panels that capture sunlight and convert it to electricity in order to feed the power grid. In July 2020, Enviva Holdings, LP successfully completed a recapitalization with more than $1 billion of new equity contributions and incremental equity commitments from affiliates of Riverstone.
In January 2021, Riverstone made a commitment to FreeWire Technologies, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging and power solutions. The investment by Riverstone marks the first private equity investment in FreeWire and highlights the importance of battery-integrated charging technology to meet the rapidly growing demand for EV charging solutions. Also in January, Riverstone Energy Limited announced an investment of $25 million in Loanpal, LLC, the leading sustainable home improvement fintech provider used in over half of U.S. residential solar system sales.
In February 2021, Riverstone published their second annual ESG report detailing their commitment to ESG and responsible investing.


Jindal Steel and Power

Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) is an Indian steel and energy company based in New Delhi, India. With turnover of approx. ₹40000 crore (US$5.5 billion), JSPL is a part of about ₹130000 crore (US$18 billion) diversified Jindal Group conglomerate. JSPL is a leading player in steel, power, mining, oil and gas and infrastructure in India. The company produces steel and power through backward integration from its own captive coal and iron-ore mines.
In terms of tonnage, it is the third largest steel producer in India. The company manufactures and sells sponge iron, mild steel slabs, ferro chrome, iron ore, mild steel, structural, hot rolled plates and coils and coal-based sponge iron plant.
Operations.
JSPL has 6 major subsidiaries:
Listings and shareholding.
The equity shares of JSPL are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.
Shareholding: On 31 March 2014, the promoter group Jindal Group held 60% of its equity shares. 23% of the shares were owned by the Foreign Institutional Investors (FII). Around 1,00,000 individual public shareholders own approx. 8% of its shares. The remaining 9% shares are owned by others.
Initiatives.
Jindal Panther TMT RebarsJSPL has forayed into construction retail industry with the launch of Jindal Panther TMT Rebars for the housing segment. These rebars are manufactured in 1.0 MTPA capacity TMT Rebar mill at Patratu, Jharkhand, supplied by Siemens.
Jindal Institute of Power Technology (JIPT)JIPT was established to develop a pool of technically trained power plant professionals for power utilities of India and abroad. The course authorizes the pass outs to operate or undertake maintenance of any part or whole of a generating stations of capacity 100 MW & above together with the associated sub stations. It is recognized by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Ministry of Power as Category-l Institute.
It is promoted by Jindal Education & Welfare Society, which is supported by Jindal Power Limited. The Institute possesses a simulator of 250 MW/600 MW generating units. JIPT is located in the 4X250, 4X600 MW Jindal Tamnar Thermal Power Plant in Tamnar, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.
Controversies.
Involvement in coalgate scamJindal Steel and Power was one of the two private companies to get a coal field in February 2009. JSPL got the Talcher coal field in Angul with reserves of 150 crore (1,500 million) metric tonnes after the cut-off date by the Central Government, while the Government-run Navratna Coal India Ltd was refused.
Both the blocks were in Odisha, with a combined worth of over ₹2 lakh crore and were meant for liquification of coal. The opposition parties alleged that the Government violated all norms to grant the coal fields. Naveen Jindal, however, denied any wrongdoing.
Iron ore reserve mining in BoliviaOn 3 June 2006, Bolivia granted development rights for one of the world's largest iron ore reserves in the El Mutún region to Jindal Steel. With an initial investment of US$1.5 billion, the company plans to invest an additional US$2.1 billion over the next eight years in the South American country.
Jindal Steel is likely to terminate the contract of investing $2.1 billion in setting up a steel plant in Bolivia, due to non-fulfilment of contractual obligations by the Bolivian Government.
Coal mining in MozambiqueIn the coal-rich Tete province of Mozambique, local communities were displaced and resettled due to coal operations of Jindal Steel and Power, Vale, and Rio Tinto, facing significant and sustained disruptions in their ability to access water and to produce or buy food.


Black Hills Corporation

Black Hills Corporation is a Rapid City, South Dakota diversified energy company that is an electric and gas utility in South Dakota and Wyoming and sells power throughout the American West.
It derives its name from its home in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
History.
The company traces its roots to 1883 and the organization of the Black Hills Electric Light Company of Deadwood. Merged with the Belt Light and Power Company of Lead in 1905, the company became Consolidated Power and Light Company of South Dakota. Meanwhile, to the south, the Dakota Power Company began serving Rapid City in 1910. Both of these companies were purchased by holding companies in the 1920s. With Roosevelt-era legislation to break up big national utility holding companies, Black Hills Power & Light Company was formed in 1941 by combining the assets of General Public Utilities, Inc. and Dakota Power Company which provided power for most of western South Dakota.
In 1956, the company completed its acquisition of the Wyodak Coal Company (now Wyodak Resources Development Corporation), from the Homestake Mining Company, setting the stage for the company's significant investments in mining, oil and gas.
In July 2002, Black Hills Corporation announced that a settlement was reached with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) relating to its marketing subsidiary, Enserco Energy, Inc. Based in Golden, Colorado, Enserco engages in natural gas marketing on the wholesale market and on behalf of independent producers. On November 25, 2002, Black Hills Corporation announced that its new independent public accountants, Deloitte & Touche LLP, had completed the audit of Black Hills Corporation's 2001, 2000 and 1999 financial statements that were originally audited by Arthur Andersen LLP.
In 2004, Black Hills acquired Cheyenne Light from Xcel Energy. Cheyenne Light continues to operate as a separate subsidiary.
In 2007, it announced an agreement to buy the natural gas utility in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa and its Colorado electric utility from Aquila, Inc.. Completed in July 2008, the deal increased the company's customer base from 137,000 to 753,000 and increased its employee base from 916 to 2,000.
In July 2015, Black Hills announced it was purchasing SourceGas for $1.89 billion. The deal covers approximately 425,000 customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming and a 512-mile regulated intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline in Colorado.
In late 2016, Black Hills announced plans to invest $700 million to build a 1 million square foot drilling and pipe production plant in Norfolk, Nebraska. The facility was expected to employ 400 people. Black Hills said it would use 500,000 tons of steel per year from Nucor Steel.
In March 2018, Black Hills received, and turned down, an unsolicited $1.1 billion purchase offer from the San Isabel Electric Association in Colorado; it responded to the offer with a full-page newspaper ad in the Pueblo Chieftain.
Pueblo, Colorado pushback.
Since 2008, Black Hills Energy's operation in Pueblo has been challenged by various constituencies on numerous policies, most notably the four rate hikes between 2010 and 2018, in some cases amounting to 50% rate increases. Voters in 2010 approved a 20-year franchise agreement with the company.
Describing the company's vision for the future, Julie Rodriguez, program manager for community affairs and economic development for Black Hills Energy's Colorado electric operations, said, "Our primary goals are to identify an energy resource that is cost effective for our customers, while also generating sufficient renewable energy to comply with the Colorado… requirements." To achieve its goals, in June 2017, the company issued a request for proposals for up to 60 megawatts of renewable energy, including wind energy and other sources, along with those that are greenhouse gas-neutral or recycled energy. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved the request as part of the company's 2016 Electric Resource Plan and 2018-2021 Renewable Energy Standard Compliance Plan.
As of June 2017, Black Hills Energy in Colorado obtains 19 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, with the rest coming from natural gas. In attempts to meet customer demand and requirements set by the state, Black Hills Energy has established new natural gas facilities, wind farms, and solar energy systems. By 2020, in order to comply with Colorado state laws, the company must generate at least 30 percent of its electricity from renewable resources. Rodriguez, asserting her company's dedication to meeting this goal, said, "Developing renewable energy at a reasonable cost is important to the communities we serve and allows us to continue providing customers with the safe, reliable energy they've come to expect."
In August 2018, Pueblo city council unanimously voted to spend $122,000 on a consulting firm, selected by the Electric Utility Commission from eight proposals, to explore its options to prematurely exit the Black Hills franchise agreement by 2020, perhaps forming its own municipal energy operation. While study results are due in nine months, a draft could be delivered in November, and a final study as early as January.
Components.
The company is the electric utility for 64,200 customers between Rapid City, South Dakota and New Castle, Wyoming as well as southeastern Montana via its Black Hills Power subsidiary. Its Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company subsidiary serves another 80,000 in Cheyenne, Wyoming and southeastern Wyoming. Via its Black Hills Energy component it has 1,000 Megawatts of generating capacity in Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and California including two plants serving Las Vegas, Nevada. The company's bigger component is its wholesale energy wing.
The centerpiece of the operation is the Wyodak Mine near Gillette, Wyoming in the Powder River Basin, which is the oldest operating surface mine for coal in the United States. The mine has permitted reserves of 286 million tons. In addition it claims in oil and gas reserves(76% of which is natural gas) principally in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.


Frank Shuman

Frank Shuman (; January 23, 1862 – April 28, 1918) was an American inventor, engineer and solar energy pioneer known for his work on solar engines, especially those that used solar energy to heat water that would produce steam.
Career.
In 1892 Frank Shuman invented wire glass safety glass. Additional patents were issued relating to the process of making wire glass and machines for making wire glass. In 1914 Shuman invented a process for making laminated safety glass, called safety glass, and manufactured by the Safety Glass Company. In 1916 he patented a "Danger Signal" for railroad crossings, as well as the use of liquid oxygen or liquid air to propel a submarine.
On August 20, 1897, Shuman invented a solar engine that worked by reflecting solar energy onto one-foot square boxes filled with ether, which has a lower boiling point than water, and containing black pipes on the inside, which in turn powered a toy steam engine. The tiny steam engine operated continuously for over two years on sunny days next to a pond at the Shuman house.
In 1908 Shuman formed the Sun Shine Power Company with the intent to build larger power plants. He, along with his technical advisor A.S.E. Ackermann and British physicist Sir Charles Vernon Boys, developed an improved system using mirrors to reflect solar energy upon collector boxes, increasing heating capacity so much that water could now be used instead of ether. He also developed alow-pressure steam turbine, since most 1910 vintage steam engines were built for steam and not sun-heated water. Shuman's turbine processed energy four times faster than any engine of his day. Shuman then constructed a full-scale steam engine that was powered by low-pressure steam, enabling him to patent the entire solar engine system by 1912. Scientific American again featured Shuman in its issues of February 4, 1911 and September 30, 1911.
Shuman built the world’s first solar thermal power station in Maadi, Egypt (1912-1913). Shuman’s plant used semi circle shaped troughs to power a 60-70 horsepower engine that pumped 6,000 gallons of water per minute from the Nile River to adjacent cotton fields. His system included a number of technological improvements, including absorption plates with dual panes separated by a one-inch air space. Although the outbreak of World War I and the discovery of cheap oil in the 1930s discouraged the advancement of solar energy, Shuman’s vision and basic design were resurrected in the 1970s with a new wave of interest in solar thermal energy.
His large home and laboratories still stand in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, as an apartment house and garages. They were added to the historic register in October 2019, meaning they cannot be demolished or significantly altered without the Historical Commission's permission.
Patents.
Source:


Reliant Energy

Reliant Energy is an American energy company based in Houston, Texas.
History.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, is one of the largest Texas electricity providers serving over 1.5 million Texans. Reliant provides over 23 million megawatts of power annually to residential and business customers.
Reliant Energy was founded in 2000. In June 2009, NRG Energy purchased Reliant Energy's retail electricity business. At the time, Reliant had 1.8 million customers and was the second largest electric provider in Texas. The name Reliant Energy was retained and the surviving wholesale business was renamed RRI Energy, which was retired in 2012 after additional NRG acquisitions.
In 2010, Reliant Energy received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the DOE’s Recovery Act activities to fund a suite of Smart Grid products for upgrades of the nation’s electricity grid.
In 2030, Reliant was awarded a MaritzCX CX (customer experience) Elite Award for excellence in customer experience strategy, execution, and results, and the 2017 Temkin Group CX Excellence Award for customer experience transformation efforts, business and customer results, and sustainability.
Over the last six months of 2017, the Public Utility Commission of Texas received a total of 118 complaints against Reliant including 22 slamming, and 2 cramming violations.
Ratings and reviews.
Reliant Energy has received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The BBB reports 194 complaints against the company in the last 3 years.
Deregulation of electricity in Texas.
On January 1, 2002, Texas deregulated the electricity industry and now there are 116 retail electric providers (REPs) currently doing business in the state. Texas is one of 18 states that offers some level of deregulated electricity, with the state having the largest percentage (approximately 85%) of residents who are able to choose their service provider.
With deregulation the transmission and distribution of the electricity is handled by Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs) that must offer access to their wires to all REPs on a non-discriminatory basis.
 Following the deregulation of the market, Reliant Energy began competing with other large energy companies in the state, including Direct Energy and TXU Corporation. Reliant Energy offers service to some of the largest cities in Texas including the Dallas/Fort Worth area in northeastern Texas, Houston and surrounding cities on the Gulf of Mexico including Corpus Christi and Galveston, and as far west as Midland.
Renewable energy.
Reliant Energy provides solar and wind turbine renewable energy options for its customers. The renewable energy options are only available in areas where the TDUs offer the service. Reliant provides sell back options for excess energy generated by an individual.
In June 2013, the City of Houston signed a renewable energy agreement with Reliant, as part of Houston’s dedication to improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of solar and wind power as energy sources. This deal included the purchase of 140 MW of wind energy output from 2013 to 2015.


Atlantic Wind Connection

Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) was a proposed electrical transmission backbone by Trans-Elect Development Company that could be constructed off the East Coast of the United States to service off-shore wind farms. Google Energy, the investment firm Good Energies, and Japanese trading firm Marubeni announced that they were investing "tens of millions of dollars" in the initial development stage of what could become a $5 billion project. Financing for the project never lined up, reportedly because the low cost of natural gas made large scale offshore wind uncompetitive.
The project continued to move forward as of May 2012 and in January, 2013 with plans to build the first segment off New Jersey.
Project description.
The Atlantic Wind Connection would begin with a first phase that would connect population and power transmission hubs in southern New Jersey and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the site of a proposed offshore wind project with a Power Purchase Agreement. Power would be carried with a cable placed in trenches on the seabed offshore. With an estimated cost of $1.7 billion, phase one would begin construction in 2015. The remaining southern connection to Norfolk, Virginia and an extension to Gateway Region of northern New Jersey and New York City would bring total construction costs to $5 billion and could be completed by 2021. The lead partners Google and Good Energies would each own 37.5% of the project, while Marubeni would have a 15% share.
The project was proposed to deliver power ashore in southern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey and northern New Jersey using of cable as a backbone that could be used by wind power systems built miles off of the Atlantic Ocean coast. Initially the system could be used to transport electricity from southern Virginia, where it is cheap, to the New York City area, where it is comparatively expensive.
The system would be able to transmit 6,000 megawatts of power and would allow existing energy supplies in Virginia to be transmitted north, bypassing the congested energy grid that exists in the Northeast, in an area that has been identified as one of the most congested portions of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. The system's energy transmission capacity would be a "superhighway for clean energy" to serve approximately 1.9 million households, equal to 60% of the wind energy generation capacity that existed in the United States as of 2009. Once the backbone is constructed, wind farms constructed well off the coast and almost invisible from the shore could be constructed and tap into the backbone. By constructing the cable beyond the limit where states wield authority, the system would be under the federal jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior.
Initial phase off New Jersey.
As of January, 2013 a proposal to seek approval for construction of the initial leg off New Jersey was announced. Construction of this phase responds to a need to equalize power costs between southern and northern New Jersey, provide statutorily required renewable energy, and, by limiting the project to one state, simplify regulatory and permitting issues. Construction of the 189 mile project, which would stretch from the vicinity of Jersey City to near Atlantic City, would begin in 2015 if regulatory approval was obtained. On January 17, 2013 Atlantic Wind Connection announced it had selected Bechtel as the EPC contractor and Alstom as technical advisor for the first phase of the development. Studies completed in 2012 concluded that a new marine terminal at the Port of Paulsboro is well suited to become a center for the manufacture, assembly, and transport of wind turbines to be used to further the development of wind power in New Jersey.
Opinions.
The proposed system has been praised by environmentalists and federal regulators, with Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) calling it "one of the most interesting transmission projects that I've ever seen walk through the door", saying that the system "provides a gathering point for offshore wind for multiple projects up and down the coast." Former FERC chairman James J. Hoecker, who heads a group that represents power transmission system owners called the proposal "a necessary piece of what the Eastern governors have been talking about in terms of taking advantage of offshore wind" and noted that the system would help average out the variable output of wind farms. Google's director of its green business operations group, Richard L. Needham, called the project "an opportunity to kick-start this industry and, long term, provide a way for the mid-Atlantic states to meet their renewable energy goals." Melinda Pierce of the Sierra Club said that she had opposed other power line projects but would support the Atlantic Wind Connection, as "These kinds of audacious ideas might just be what we need to break through the wretched logjam".
The concept of an offshore transmission backbone coordinated with several projects was an item in a speech by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar a week before AWC was announced, and the concept is also a part of the national strategy on offshore wind power.
Challenges.
However, as the first such project of this nature, it poses significant risks of encountering unexpected technological challenges, bureaucratic backlogs and cost overruns. Virginia politicians have opposed previous proposals that would send low-cost energy out of the state. PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that covers the area and is the world's largest competitive wholesale electricity market, would need to develop a formula to assess its customers for the costs associated with hooking up the new cables, increasing grid capacity and making the system more reliable.
Resource area.
The project would take advantage of the fact that the continental shelf slopes rather gradually in the Atlantic Ocean and that it would not be exposed to the freezing temperatures characteristic of the Great Lakes. The Mid-Atlantic Bight offers the potential of 60,000 megawatts of wind power generating capacity in an area that has relatively little renewable energy potential from other sources.
The resource area, the Mid-Atlantic Bight, was identified and mapped in 2006 by Willett M. Kempton of the University of Delaware, and again in 2008 in the "Journal of Marine Research". Twenty-one years of hourly data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy anemometers show an extrapolated mean wind speed of 8.3 m/s at 80 m height, giving a capacity factor of 39% for oceanic turbines (36% for coastal). A single offshore site had zero wind 15% of the time. Considering three connected offshore sites in a larger area between North Carolina (34° N) and Massachusetts (43° N), zero power occurred 2% of the time. For six connected offshore sites, zero power occurred 0.3% of the time. Baseload fossil fuel generating plants are typically unavailable 6% of the time. The principal difference is that wind power is a non-dispatchable resource, not that it is "unreliable".


Meralco

The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (; stylized in its logo as "M"ERALCO), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 municipalities, including the whole of the National Capital Region and the exurbs that form Mega Manila.
The name "Meralco" is an acronym for Manila Electric Railroad And Light Company, which was the company's original name until 1919.
History.
La Electricista.
Organized in 1891 and beginning operations in late 1894, La Electricista was the first electric company to provide electricity to Manila towards the close of the Spanish era. La Electricista had built a central power plant on Calle San Sebastian (now Hidalgo Street ) in Quiapo, Manila. On January 17, 1895, its streetlights were turned on for the first time and by 1903, it had about 3,000 electric light customers.
Founding of the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company.
On October 20, 1902, during the American Colonial Period, the Second Philippine Commission began accepting bids to operate Manila's electric tramway, and by extension, providing electricity to the city and its suburbs. Detroit entrepreneur Charles M. Swift was the sole bidder and on March 24, 1903, was granted the original basic franchise of the Manila Electric Company. March 24 thus is marked annually as the company's anniversary.
The Manila Electric Company acquired both La Electricista and the Compañía de los Tranvías de Filipinas, a firm that ran Manila's horse-drawn tramways which was founded in 1882. Construction on the electric tramway began that same year. In addition to acquiring La Electricista's Calle San Sebastian power plant, the company built its own steam generating plant on Isla Provisora (later becoming the Manila Thermal Power Plant), which powered the tram system and eventually also the electric service. By 1906, the Manila Electric Company's annual power output capacity was around eight million kWh.
Manila Suburban Railways Company.
Swift was awarded another franchise in 1906 to operate a extension line from Paco to Fort McKinley and Pasig and founded the Manila Suburban Railway to operate this franchise. In 1919 this company merged with the Manila Electric Company. This extension was one of the most profitable of MERALCO's lines.
By the 1920, MERALCO had a 170-strong fleet of streetcars, before switching over to buses later in that decade.
The company operated 52-miles of trams until World War II. The equipment and tracks of the system was severely damaged during the war and had to be removed.
Power generation and distribution.
By 1915, electricity generation and distribution became the main MERALCO's main income generator, overtaking its public transportation operations in terms of revenue. In 1919, it changed its official name to Manila Electric Company. By 1920, the company's power capacity had grown to 45 million kWh.
In 1925, MERALCO was acquired by the utility holding company Associated Gas and Electric (AGECO, reorganized as General Public Utilities Corporation or GPU in 1946), which had begun a massive expansion throughout the United States and Canada. With AGECO's financial backing, MERALCO began acquiring a number of existing utility companies in the Philippines, enabling the company to expand beyond Manila.
By 1930, MERALCO had completed construction of the Philippine's first hydroelectric power plant, the 23MW Botocan Hydro Station. At the time, this plant was one of the largest engineering projects in Asia and constituted the largest single private capital investment in the Philippines. The additional capacity allowed the company to begin hooking up customers throughout the metropolitan area.
To drive demand for more power, MERALCO also opened a retail store in order to sell electric home appliances.
World War II.
During the Second World War, the Japanese occupying forces forcibly transferred all of MERALCO's assets and holdings to the Japanese-controlled Taiwan Power Company. By war's end, most of the former Meralco facilities had been destroyed.
After the war, MERALCO's autobus franchise was sold to Halili Transport.
The López group.
In 1962, Don Eugenio López, Sr. acquired MERALCO and making it wholly Filipino-owned. During 1962-72, he increased MERALCO's power generating capacity by five times with the building of additional power stations in the Manila area with two more planned in Rizal Province.
In 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law and issued Presidential Decree № 40, which nationalized the country's electric generation and transmission.
López's eldest son, Eugenio, Jr. ("Geny"), was arrested in order to force the elder López to turn over his businesses to President Marcos. Geny was charged for allegedly conspiring to assassinate President Marcos. With his son imprisoned, López was forced to give up his holdings in several companies worth several hundred million dollars, but Geny was not released from prison.
Ownership of MERALCO was placed under a shell company called the Meralco Foundation, Inc., controlled by Marcos associates (in particular, his brother-in-law Benjamin Romualdez), under the newly created state-run National Power Corporation (Napocor). By 1978, all of the Philippines' major power plants were owned and operated by Napocor, including the Metro Manila plants that MERALCO had built beforehand in the 1960s. State control for the company, however, began in 1975, given the company's rising debt and financial problems during the decade. By the end of the Martial Law period in 1981, MERALCO expanded even further into Cavite and western parts of Laguna, Rizal and Quezon provinces, as well as parts of southern Bulacan.
State control of MERALCO lasted until the People Power Revolution in February 1986 toppled the Marcos dictatorship. President Corazon Aquino reverted company ownership to the López Group, without them paying for the state-funded improvements done during Martial Law. She also enacted an executive order that allowed the company to directly compete with Napocor. On March 18, 1989, MERALCO unveiled its new corporate logo, which the company has been using up to the present.
Entry of First Pacific and JG Summit groups.
Between 2009 and 2012, the López Group would reduce its 33.4% holdings in MERALCO by selling most of its shares to the First Pacific Group. By 2012, the López Group's holdings in MERALCO would be reduced to 3.95%.
The First Pacific Group, through Beacon Electric Asset Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investment Corporation, currently holds 45.46% share in MERALCO, followed by the JG Summit Group with 29.56%, for a combined 75.02% control of MERALCO.
Controversies.
2008 legislative investigation on high power rates.
Meralco is facing a Philippine legislative inquiry/investigation for alleged excessive pricing. The government has considered a plan to take over Meralco, to reduce electricity bills. Meralco and National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) blamed each other for the high power rates. Meralco also blames high power generation costs, high transmission costs and government taxes imposed on the electricity sector from power generation to distribution. Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President Winston García, however, blamed Meralco's inefficiency, its "bloated bureaucracy" and its sourcing of power from independent power producers (IPPs) also owned by the López Family, and the need to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001. Oscar López said that if the GSIS would buy the Meralco shares, they must buy in whole cash, while many businessmen also said that taking over Meralco is not the way to reduce electrical price, which depends on the national government and the President. The issue was also seen as a purposeful diversion from the then-ongoing ZTE NBN scandal and other government issues. A perceived lack of general understanding regarding the issue of system loss, inherent in the business of utilities prompted Meralco's former holding company, First Philippine Holdings, to issue advertisements explaining systems loss.
Syndicated "estafa" and bribery case.
The Department of Justice (Philippines) filed syndicated (fraud) charges against Meralco in its August 22, 2008 31-page resolution, filed with the Pasig Regional Trial Court. The May 29 National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reform (Nasecore) complaint accused Meralco of "illegally declaring as income ₱889 million in consumers’ money, which represents interest from meter and bill deposits consumers had been paying since 1995." No bail was recommended for all the accused, 2006 officers of Meralco, to wit: Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel Lopez, executive vice president and chief financial officer Daniel Tagaza, first Vice-resident and treasurer Rafael Andrada, vice president and corporate auditor and compliance officer Helen De Guzman, vice president and assistant comptroller Antonio Valera, and senior assistant vice president and assistant treasurer Manolo Fernando; 2006 Meralco directors Arthur Defensor Jr., Gregory Domingo, Octavio Victor Espiritu, Christian Monsod, Federico Puno, Washington Sycip, Emilio Vicens, Francisco Viray and former Prime Minister Cesar Virata.
Nasecore's complaint accusing Meralco of "illegally declaring as income 889 million pesos in consumers’ money, which represents interest from meter and bill deposits consumers had been paying since 1995," was immediately refuted by the accused company as the alleged ₱889 million only stemmed from a generally accepted accounting principle of reversing Meralco's earlier provision for meter deposit interests which, earlier set at 10% per annum was deemed too high and was set to the recommended 6%. Meralco also questioned how a syndicated estafa case can arise when it has already announced and committed that it will be refunding to customers who paid meter deposit principals plus interest months ahead of the ERC prescribed schedule and has allocated enough funds for the said refund.
Meralco is also involved in the GSIS-Meralco bribery case.
Dismissal of syndicated "estafa" case.
On October 6, 2008, the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 71 dismissed the syndicated "estafa" case filed against the Meralco board of directors, for the prosecution failed to establish all the elements of syndicated "estafa".
Presiding Judge Franco Falcon, pointed out in the ruling that the board is not the kind described by the law as being formed to perpetrate an illegal act for the board of directors were elected by stockholders. The court explained, “Therefore, the accused can never be charged of taking part in the commission of syndicated "estafa" not only because they are not part of a syndicate as contemplated by law in PD 1689, but more so, because there was absolutely no "estafa" committed.”
According to Philippine law, to constitute syndicated "estafa", the subject money or property must be received by the offenders. The money represents the accrued interests on the bill and meter deposits, which were paid by Meralco customers, not directly to the board, but to the various Meralco business centers where the customers transacted. Meralco expressed elation over the dismissal.
Service area.
Meralco serves Metro Manila, where it is the sole electricity distributor, as well as some nearby provinces, like Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon. Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal are solely served by Meralco, but on some provinces, it only serves some parts, like in Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon, where most or some areas are served by electric cooperatives. In Laguna and Quezon, most part of those provinces are served by the company, but other areas, mostly rural municipalities, are served by electric cooperatives. In Batangas, only Santo Tomas, the First Philippine Industrial Park and First Industrial Township SEZ both in Tanauan, Batangas City, San Pascual and parts of Laurel (Barangays of Niyugan and Dayap Itaas) and Calaca (parts of Barangay Cahil) which facing Tagaytay–Nasugbu Highway are served by Meralco, and the rest of the province are franchise areas of electric cooperatives. In Pampanga, some barangays in Candaba are served by the company.


Avangrid

Avangrid, Inc. (formerly Energy East and Iberdrola USA), is an energy services and delivery company. AVANGRID serves about 3.1 million customers throughout the state of New York and New England in the United States.
History.
In 2008 Iberdrola S.A. purchased Energy East. Iberdrola renamed the company Iberdrola USA.
In November 2010, Iberdrola USA sold its gas distribution companies in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the Southern Connecticut Gas Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation, and the Berkshire Gas Company, to UIL Holdings Corporation.
In 2012, Iberdrola USA sold its energy services companies, Energetix and NYSEG Solutions, to Direct Energy.
In February 2015, Iberdrola USA announced that it had entered into a merger agreement with UIL Holdings Corporation under which UIL Holdings Corporation would merge into a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, Inc. In December 2015, "Iberdrola USA finalized its acquisition of UIL Holdings ... to create a new company, AVANGRID, which will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as AGR."
Avangrid won an auction for an offshore wind area near North Carolina by bidding $9 million in March 2017.
Avangrid supports the adoption of electric vehicles. In 2017, Avangrid donated $2 million to the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate program. The program was launched in 2015 and gives money in the form of rebates to consumers who purchase zero-emissions vehicles, which includes electric vehicles. The company also installed electric vehicle charging stations at several of its facilities. In 2018, Avangrid held an "electric vehicle fair" for its employees, with the goal being to make it so that all employees can purchase electric vehicles if they chose to.


Votorantim Energia

Votorantim Energia is a Brazilian energy company part of conglomerate Votorantim Group created in 1996 as part of the management.
In 2007, generated 63% of the total energy consumed in the Group, being one of the leading industrial investors in the Brazilian electric power sector. Managing energy for more than 180 company, besides the companies of Votorantim, is responsible for 8,2% of industrial consumption of energy, which equals 3% to the total consumption of the country.
The Votorantim Energia also have solutions as generation, management and marketing (buying and selling) of energy, planning energy resources, cogeneration projects and energy efficiency, among others. The company’s principal differential is have in one side one of the biggest private generators, and in the other one manages the biggest energy consumer of the country, the Votorantim S/A.
The company manager power produced at 32 hydroelectric plants, some in consortium and others exclusive of Votorantim, with a portfolio that also includes 5 thermoelectric plants, reaching 2.586 MW of installed capacity and 5% of natural gas management of Brazilian industry consumption.