Sonat Energy Services purchased a 50-percent limited partnershipinterest in GPU International’s Mid-Georgia Cogen L.P. power plant.”Our experience in both natural gas and power marketing has shownus that investing in state-of-the-art natural gas-fired electricpower generation is a key ingredient to providing our customerswith the services they need in today’s competitive market,” saidSonat Energy Service s President Richard Bates. The 300 MWcogeneration power plant is a dispatchable natural gas-fired,combined cycle facility located in Kathleen, GA. It is scheduled toenter commercial operation in the second quarter of 1998. Inaddition to providing thermal energy to a Frito-Lay snack foodprocessing plant and electrical capacity to Georgia Power, thefacility also will be available to sell wholesale energy to avariety of customers. Mid-Georgia Cogen is the first independentpower project developed in Georgia.

So far, 12 companies have been approved to participate in theConsolidated Edison of New York (ConEd) retail choice pilot toallow consumers to buy power from other suppliers beginning June 1.The participating companies are KeySpan Energy, Cinergy Capital andTrading, Colonial Energy, Con Edison Solutions, ECONnergy, EnergisResources, mc2, New Energy Ventures, Northeast Utilities, PlumStreet Energy, Strategic Power Management and Wheeled ElectricPower. Initially, the program will enable up to 63,000 ConEdcustomers to choose ESCOs. The utility is making available 500 MWof electric load during the first phase of the program. ConEd ispaying a one-time switching incentive of $50 to residential andreligious organization customers and $75 to small non-residentialcustomers who stick with the program for 10 months.

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