Developer

One of the world’s leading independent power plantdeveloper/operators, Arlington, VA-based AES Corp., announced thisweek that it will try to re-power two old units among its coastalmix of California power plants under the state’s newly createdfast-track power plant siting process. The goal is to have an added450 MW of baseload capacity available next summer.

A stable of some of the leading energy companies have partnered up to form TradeSpark, an electronic marketplace powered by developer eSpeed Inc., that will offer natural gas, electricity, coal, weather derivatives and emissions credits through the Internet, private enterprise or via voice brokers beginning this week.

Calpine Corp., the San Jose, CA-based merchant power plantdeveloper, maintains a voracious appetite for natural gas that itexpects to reach 6 to 7 Bcf/d in the next five years, but it isunfazed by the current price spike and supply tightness headinginto winter. A diversified portfolio approach that aims for up to aquarter of its supplies coming from its own reserves makes Calpineofficials shrug off worries about future gas markets.

A stable of some of the leading energy companies have partneredup to form TradeSpark, an electronic marketplace powered bydeveloper eSpeed Inc., that will offer natural gas, electricity,coal, weather derivatives and emissions credits through theInternet, private enterprise or via voice brokers beginning Oct. 2.

Calpine Corp., the San Jose, CA-based merchant power plantdeveloper/operator, continued its aggressive growth strategy lastweek, announcing separate acquisition and strategic alliances inthe central midsection of the U.S., along with startup anddevelopment of new projects in Texas and California, respectively.This latest growth spurt eventually could make Calpine by 2005 thenation’s largest merchant power plant operator with the youngest,most natural gas-intensive electricity generating network.

Calpine Corp., the San Jose, CA-based merchant power plantdeveloper/operator, continued its aggressive growth strategyMonday, announcing separate acquisition and strategic alliances inthe central midsection of the U.S. that eventually could make it by2005 the nation’s largest merchant power plant operator with theyoungest, most natural gas-intensive electricity generatingnetwork.

Expanding its potential reach as a merchant power plantdeveloper/operator, San Jose, CA-based Calpine Corp. announced itis going after the high-tech and telecommunications industries’growing need for reliable, high-quality electricity by offeringdistributed generation with back-up reliability services. It has a30-MW unit about to be unveiled for an undisclosed customer andseveral other units in the queue, according to the Calpineexecutive heading its new “c*Power” business unit.

Allegheny Energy Solutions formed a strategic alliance withdistributed generation developer Capstone Turbine. “As the world’sleading microturbine manufacturer, Capstone enhances our range ofon-site solutions and provides us with a quality product to offerto our customers,” said David Cole, director of Allegheny EnergySolutions. “We believe there will be significant growth ofdistributed generation opportunities over the next five to 10years, and Allegheny Energy is seizing opportunities in thisgrowing market.” As part of the alliance, a Capstone MicroTurbinewas installed at the site of Allegheny Energy’s Mitchell PowerStation in New Eagle, PA. Allegheny will monitoring the technicaland economical characteristics of the device and identify newapplications. Allegheny Energy, Inc. is a diversified energycompany headquartered in Hagerstown, MD. Allegheny Power deliverselectric energy to about three million people in parts of Maryland,Ohio, Pennsylvania Virginia, and West Virginia.

Texaco bought a 20% equity stake in hydrogen storage specialistand fuel cell developer Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) lastweek for $67.3 million. While the major producer has not lost sightof the importance of its upstream and downstream businesses nor thesurge in mergers among its major competitors, it has chosen tofocus on a variety of new technologies that it believes willdetermine the future of the automobile and electric powerindustries.