Duke Energy North America (DENA) said it will have more than6,000 Mw of new power generation capacity in place by summer 2002,bringing its total merchant generation portfolio to 15,000 MW.DENA’s merchant portfolio currently includes 6,200 MW of generationlocated in the western, midwestern and eastern regions of theUnited States. The new generation will serve markets in the WesternSystem Coordinating Council (WSCC), the East Central ReliabilityCouncil (ECAR) and the Southeastern Electric Reliability Council(SERC) regions. DENA has begun or soon will begin constructionactivity on six merchant generation facilities totaling more than4,000 MW. The facilities include: the 570 MW Maricopa EnergyFacility in Maricopa County, AZ.; the 620 MW Washington GeneratingFacility located in Washington County, OH; the 620 MW Hot SpringEnergy Facility in Hot Spring County, AR; Murray GeneratingFacility I and II, two 620 MW facilities located on the same sitein Murray County, GA; and lastly the previously announced 1,040 MWmodernization of the Moss Landing facility in California. All areexpected to begin commercial operation by mid-2002. DENA plans toannounce an additional 2,000 MW of generation capacity that alsowould be ready summer 2002. Individual sites and relatedinformation will be disclosed in the second quarter. By summer2001, DENA will deliver six new merchant facilities totaling 3,400MWs. DENA also has more than 13,500 MWs in advanced development andwill construct between 10 and 12 new merchant facilities every yearthrough 2003, expanding its merchant portfolio to more than 23,000MWs.

To assist its financial strapped customers, South Jersey Gas,headquartered in Folsom, NJ, has introduced an employee-basedTender Loving Care program, which provides grants of up to $200 ayear to customers who may be ineligible for other forms ofassistance to pay for natural gas bills. To qualify for the TLCprogram, customers have to be recommended by a South Jersey Gasemployee; be a residential heating customer; be currentlydelinquent in paying their bill; and not be in a protected class orreceive other forms of financial assistance, such as HEAP, Lifelineor New Jersey Shares. The funds will be given on an as-neededbasis, with only one grant per customer each calendar year. Formore information, visit the Website at www.southjerseygas.com.

SGI Global, designers and builders of energy, urban andindustrial projects around the world, has announced the expansionof its finance and Petrochemical divisions to New York City andHouston, respectively, with future world headquarters in NorthernVirginia. The move reinforces the U.S.- and Saudi Arabian-basedcompany’s goal of developing state-of-the-art and environmentallycompatible projects in North America. SGI Global is currentlydeveloping several petroleum, civil infrastructure/industrialdevelopment, power plants, pipelines, project financing andenvironmental projects around the world including the U.S.

The Aggregate and Ready Mix Association of Minnesota is touting30% to 70% energy savings to be gained in an all concrete home —which also offers resistance to fire, flooding and tornadoes.Unlike timber-frame homes, concrete homes are airtight and theirthicker walls conduct heat poorly. This means temperatures withinconcrete homes remain stable longer, a spokesman said. One suchstructure is on display at the Home & Garden Show inMinneapolis this week.Also of note: concrete homes arestorm-proof, require minimal maintenance as they do not rust orrot, and are almost soundproof, making them ideal for noisyneighborhoods, near highways or near airports.

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