Finance

Power traders need to get faster, more accurate information on how markets are working and how they are swinging. They should look to telecommunications and manufacturing markets for solutions.

While pundits opine that the U.S. economy is in recovery, that doesn’t show up in the world of coal-fired electric power plants (perhaps lagging economic indicators). For proof, see these recent stories.

Carbon is poised to become an auditable and verifiable reporting requirement for American business. Because utilities are among the organizations with the most at stake in a carbon-constrained economy, they should proactively tackle carbon management and carbon accounting in spite of uncertainties about the precise formulation of the final regulatory framework. In short, whether a carbon accounting requirement is legislative, administrative, or driven by business partners and consumers, now is the time for utilities to act.

The National Academy of Public Administration faults the U.S. Department of Energy on human resource management, contract controls, and financial management.

The economic downturn hits Entergy Corp. and Bruce Power.

TVA scales back plans to revitalize new nuclear construction at its Bellefonte plant, suggesting that it will scrap plans for new units at the site and perhaps focus on its unbuilt unit that has been mothballed for 25 years.

U.S. wind power appears becalmed, partially stymied by transmission constraints, and also by financing difficulties in the current recession. Read the details.

Coal continues to demonstrate considerable financial muscle in the current economic downturn, despite anti-coal rhetoric and concerns about climate change.

Does customer satisfaction play a meaningful role in guiding utility operations? Many utilities think it does, as do many regulators. The market apparently doesn’t. Data suggest that the jury is out on the question, and the intuitive answer may not match the empirical evidence.

What role will coal play as the nation moves toward trying to reduce greenhouse gases? The picture is mixed, as these news stories from around the country demonstrate.