November 14, 2007

Things are looking up south of the border. But restrictive policies in the electricity and natural gas sectors still hamper growth in Mexico.

Over the past 20 years, Mexico has made great strides reducing trade barriers and thereby allowing more private investment. While its current gross domestic product is growing annually at 4.8 percent, it still needs to enact more regulatory reforms to lift per capita GDP growth, raise living standards and reduce poverty at a quicker rate, says the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Russia will always remain a mystery. Over the last 15 years, the nation has evolved from one that is tightly regulated to one that is more open -- and then partially back again. The nation's electricity sector, however, is about to be largely privatized.

Shareholders of RAO Unified Energy Systems just voted to liquidate the company, in a process that will be completed by July 1, 2008. The state will still own about 52 percent of the enterprise but 45 percent of it will be sold to investors on the London Stock Exchange. That's a major move for the Russian government, which has decided to expand its influence in certain economic sectors and namely in natural gas and aerospace.

Private equity investors are riding to the rescue. A consortium led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire to Washington State-based Puget Energy for $3.5 billion.

It's the latest case in which private investors have bid on publicly-held companies and specifically investor-owned utilities. Most businesses need access to the capital markets where they can obtain the funds to do research and development, buy equipment and hire workers. But the pressures associated with quarterly reporting, new accounting and corporate governance rules are often intense.

State should have mandate that 25% of power come from renewable resources such as wind, governor says.

DETROIT -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday made the business case to increase the amount of energy in Michigan that's generated from renewable sources -- something she said will create much-needed jobs and protect the state's environment.

The governor called for Michigan to join 25 others states in adopting a so-called renewable energy portfolio standard -- which would require a certain amount of energy used in the state to come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The city of Portland may burnish its green reputation with a carbon tax on new housing that merely meets the building code, and payments to builders of houses that are extra efficient with energy.

The plan would charge builders whose houses meet Oregon's requirements for energy efficiency. Builders whose houses are 30 percent more efficient than the code requires would escape the fee. Builders could get cash back if their houses are at least 45 percent more efficient.

The proposal would also require sellers of existing houses and commercial buildings to give buyers the results of energy audits.