AGL Resources has named Paula G. Rosput to be president and COOof its unbundling natural gas distribution company, Atlanta GasLight. She will assume her new responsibilities Sept. 21. Rosputwas previously president and CEO of Duke Energy Power Services andwas president of PanEnergy Power Services prior to PanEnergy’smerger with Duke Power last year. Prior to that she was senior vicepresident at Pacific Gas Transmission.

“Her wealth of experience in gas and electric utilities, naturalgas pipelines and competitive energy businesses will help thecompany as it prepares for the rapidly changing and increasinglycompetitive utility industry,” said Walter M. Higgins, the newpresident and CEO of AGL Resources.

Rosput led the team that certificated and built the Pacific GasTransmission Co. expansion in 1993, the biggest mainline pipelineever built in the U.S. And while at Duke Energy Power Services, shecreated a company with $1.5 billion in unregulated assets in threeyears. With the transformed position of Atlanta Gas Light into anunbundled utility starting in November, Rosput likely will have todraw on her leadership experience in both regulated and unregulatedbusinesses.

“The challenge here is first and foremost to transform thebundled franchise utility company into a common carrier,” Rosputsaid in an interview with NGI. “Basically you’re transforming thelocal distribution company into a pipeline with small diameterpipe. To do that in a way that is a positive for customers, many ofwhom are skeptical about the benefits of deregulation, and to do itin a way that satisfies the competing needs of regulators andshareholders, is critical.

“I think the law is very clear at this point as to what isexpected of the company so fortunately for me there’s anoverarching framework in which the unbundling will take effect. ButI certainly have every optimism of starting out on the right footwith the regulators in Georgia.”

Catherine Land-Waters, who has been the acting utility presidentsince May, will continue her previous job as Atlanta Gas Light’svice president of customer service.

Rocco Canonica

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