The New Jersey Business & Industry Alliance (NJBIA), thelargest state-level employer association in the nation, isorganizing an energy purchasing pool to join the New Jersey choiceprogram. The group has selected NewEnergy and Power Direct,subsidiaries of independent power producer AES Corp. to create thepool Power New Jersey.

NJBIA estimates that its members spend well over $1 billionannually on electricity. Members joining Power New Jersey may beable to achieve savings of up to 20% of the electric generationportion of their bill, depending on the size of the company, amountof electricity usage and geographic location. NewEnergy will servemembers whose electric bills exceed $4,000 per month, and PowerDirect will serve all smaller accounts from the NJBIA.

“Power New Jersey is a textbook example of the benefits thatcompetition can bring to electric consumers,” said Brian Hayduck,Vice President of NewEnergy East. “NewEnergy is pleased that we’reable to partner with such a prestigious organization such as theNJBIA, and we look forward to bringing its members the kind ofsavings and service we’re already providing customers inPennsylvania, New York and California.”

Through Power New Jersey, NJBIA members can contract directlywith either NewEnergy or Power Direct to purchase electricity.Members have the option of selecting either a short or long-termcontract. AES Corp., based in Arlington, VA, is a leading globalpower company that currently owns or has an interest in 105 powerfacilities totaling more than 31,000 MW in the United States,Canada, and 14 other countries.

Power Direct has also signed up an association of New Jersey cardealers to buy energy competitively. While its parent AES says itis dedicated to providing electricity in a socially responsibleway, environmental groups have gone on the attack against otherpower providers which have moved in on the New Jersey choiceprogram in a big way.

Allegheny Power Supply, of Greensburg, PA, which announced recentlyit has picked up a contract to supply 360 MW to New Jersey chemicalcompanies (See Daily GPI, Nov. 11) is asubsidiary of Allegheny Energy which has one of the worst polutionrecords in the country, the environmental groups claim. The company isranked seventh in the nation for sulfer emissions and 14th inemissions of nitrogen oxides by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Another winner in the New Jersey lottery also is a loser in theemissions ratings, the environmentalists say. FirstEnergy, which willbe supplying government facilities, including the Statue of Liberty,under a contract with the General Services Administration (See DailyGPI, Nov. 10), is one of thecoal-burning companies named in the Justice Department suit chargingnon-compliance with EPA regulations. (See Daily GPI, Nov. 4)

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