Alliance

Amway Corp. and Columbia Energy are taking their retail energyalliance to Ohio this month, three months after testing energymarketing strategies in Georgia. Georgia residents who have chosenColumbia Energy through Amway distributors can save as much as 18%per year on the cost of natural gas, according to Columbia.

The alliance of Public Service Co. of Colorado (PSCo) andColorado Interstate Gas (CIG) have launched the operation of their53-mile, $25 million Front Range Pipeline stretching from theWyoming border south to Platteville, CO, and effectively haltingdevelopment of a competing 109-mile Front Runner Pipeline, proposedby Denver-based KN Energy.

Where there’s new power generation these days, there usually isnatural gas. And Florida will add almost 11,000 MW of power overthe next eight years, according to a recent report by the state’sutilities. Power demand is soaring in the state, particularly inthe southwestern portion, where currently there are no gaspipelines. That’s going to change soon, however.

New York State Electric and Gas parent company Energy East Corp.is teaming up with Iroquois Gas Transmission and Vermont EnergyPark Holdings on a combined transmission, distribution and electricgeneration project in southwestern Vermont.

Instead of spending much time and money building a larger directmarketing operation, Aquila Energy has formed a gas marketingpartnership with Empire District Electric Co., a Midcontinentregion electric utility, to target industrial customers in Empire’selectric service territory. Aquila said the deal is the first ofmultiple partnerships and alliances it plans to form in four keyregions of the country where the market is competitive and it has asignificant presence.