April 30, 2008

India may be a magnet for future investors. But it has also become a focal point for political dissension involving the U.S.-India nuclear pact.

President Bush is determined to enact the trade deal -- one that would reverse 32 years of U.S. foreign policy and allow the sale of nuclear technologies to India for peaceful purposes. While the presidential candidates have all supported the compact, India's leaders have been unable to win support for it from Communist opponents who keep the current government afloat and who don't want outsiders meddling in their affairs.

April 21, 2008

It's seems pretty safe to utter the "R" word. But investors still need to be cautious about where they place their bets. For their part, utilities have weathered the downturn and performed comparatively well.

Utilities have long been known for generating stable revenues and paying predictable dividends. It's a heritage that has paid off in the current economic environment. It's almost entirely a function of the fact that electricity is an essential commodity that must always be purchased. Regulated utilities, meantime, are able to pass through their reasonable expenses that include fuel adjustments while unregulated ones are taking advantage of current higher fuel costs and expected greater demand.

April 18, 2008

An Alaskan natural gas pipeline would certainly help feed America's energy appetite. But financial and political impediments are delaying construction.

Alaska's Prudhoe Bay produces about 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, or roughly 13 percent of this country's daily consumption. But, that gas never reaches the Lower 48 states because it waits for a pipeline to be built. While the state is now in serious talks with a Canadian pipeline developer, the project must still overcome a host of opposition that is bound to be formidable.

Monday, April 14, 2008
DAVID EGGERT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the battle over global warming, front lines are forming in Bay City and Midland -- proposed sites for Michigan's first large coal-fired power plants since 1984.

If they win the go-ahead, the plants could operate for 50 years. That's an eternity to environmental groups upset that existing coal plants pollute and emit greenhouse gases linked to climate change.

The Midland City Council meets at 7 p.m. today to consider permits needed to build the plant on 32.7 acres on South Saginaw Road at Waldo.

"Why would we make a 50-year commitment to such very old technology?" asked Suzette Zelenak of MidlandCARES, a group opposing a proposed 750-megawatt coal plant in the city. "It's just absolutely backwards thinking."

The $1.9 billion project, intended to serve industrial customers, is a joint venture between LS Power of East Brunswick, N.J., and Houston-based Dynegy Inc.

April 11, 2008

Skills in high technology and sophisticated disciplines hold lots of sway in the New Economy, attracting the younger set that tends to be more educated and in search of upward mobility. But are utilities able to draw the best and brightest?

The power sector is marching forward. The general consensus, however, is that it has done little to make itself appealing to recent graduates. The issue has become accentuated as the industry wrestles with how to replace its now aging workforce. Indeed, challenges abound and notably the transfer of critical knowledge.