Utility News

CNBC:

The huge numbers of fish sucked to their death by the cooling system at the Indian Point nuclear plant prove that the system harms the Hudson River environment, a New York state official has ruled.

The finding by J. Jared Snyder, assistant commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, is a victory for plant critics who claim that up to 1.2 billion fish and eggs are killed each year as the plant continuously draws in river water for use as a coolant.

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AFP:

Documentary film “Flow,” premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this week, condemns water profiteering, calling for a UN resolution to make access to clean drinking water a human right.

The film by French-born director Irena Salina blasts Paris-based Suez and Vivendi Environment for commercializing water systems around the world, as well as Nestle, the world’s largest bottled water seller, for draining watersheds.

Even the World Bank gets knocked in the film for funding massive water diversion projects that have displaced 80 million people, instead of smaller, cheaper and more eco-friendly community projects to bring fresh drinking water to the poor.

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CNN Money:

Federal energy regulators have approved regional utility owner Energy East Corp.’s roughly $4.5 billion buyout by Spanish power company Iberdrola SA.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said that since Iberdrola owns no U.S. transmission facilities ands relatively little generation in the relevant markets, “the acquisition does not present vertical or horizontal market power issues.”

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Web India:

By 2025, an estimated 3.5 billion people will live in areas facing severe water shortages — and providing them potable water would be a challenge that may be best met by nuclear-powered desalination

This was one of the solutions presented at the recent Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse…

This and other solutions discussed at the symposium have been published in a special issue of the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination.

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Business Week:

The European Commission will present a plan Tuesday to set up an EU-wide regulatory body with the power to separate telecom networks and access providers to foster competition and reduce costs for customers.

Calling the existing panel of national telecom regulators a “do-nothing group” that has ignored the interests of EU consumers, the EU’s executive arm will call for the creation of a European Telecom Market Authority, which could push national regulators to tackle large telecommunications companies and their stranglehold over national markets.

Smaller telecom businesses blame regulators’ inaction for holding back the rollout of high-speed Internet across Europe. Only one in five households in wealthy Western Europe has broadband, with high prices and little choice keeping people offline.

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International Herald Tribune:

German utility RWE AG on Wednesday postponed a planned initial public offering of its U.S.-based water unit American Water Works Co., citing the “currently unfavorable conditions” in U.S. markets.

RWE had planned to spin off Voorhees, New Jersey-based American Water through an IPO at the end of this year as it moves to sharpen its focus on European gas and electricity markets.

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Forbes:

Delta is taking the Dutch government to court over the costs of it decision to split the Netherlands’ utilities, the Regional Dutch energy provider said in a press release.

The Zeeland-based company said its strategy is to remain an independent, multi-utility and claims the forced division of Dutch utilities into network operators and energy providers will endanger that strategy.

Delta said it believes the split violates European treaties on the free flow of capital and property rights.

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Servihoo.com:

French state-controlled energy giant EDF said Friday it had agreed to create a joint venture with US peer Constellation Energy to operate new nuclear power plants in the United States.

The companies are to form a jointly-owned nuclear holding company into which EDF will invest a maximum 625 million dollars (865 million euros), while Constellation will contribute assets from its UniStar Nuclear business.

Constellation has also agreed to upgrade four of its existing US nuclear power stations with next-generation European atomic energy technology.

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The New York Times:

The Spanish power company Iberdrola plans to buy the regional utility owner Energy East Corporation for $4.5 billion in cash, the companies announced Monday.

The boards of the utilities, meeting in New York and Madrid, agreed to the deal, which would give Energy East shareholders $28.50 a share, representing a 27 percent premium over the closing stock price Friday of $22.37.

The deal, which is expected to close next year, requires approval by Energy East shareholders, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state agencies.

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Herald Sun [Australia]:

REMOVING salt from sea water to overcome a worldwide shortage of drinking water could end up worsening the crisis, environmental group WWF has warned.

Desalination - the filtering and evaporation of sea water - is very energy-intensive and involves significant emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists say are a factor in the shrinking supplies of freshwater, the Swiss-based group said…

The WWF, or Worldwide Fund for Nature, estimated there were more than 10,000 desalination plants around the world. It said the sector would likely grow exponentially in coming years as governments seek to supply water to fast-growing arid areas in the US, India, China and elsewhere.

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