Experience

PP&L Inc. named John Cotter vice president-energy marketing& trading. Cotter, who has more than 20 years of experience inthe marketing and trading of electricity, gas and oil, has servedas senior vice president-marketing for PP&L EnergyPlus,PP&L Inc.’s electricity sales subsidiary. He replaces MichaelT. Steffes, who last week resigned from PP&L, Inc. to pursueother interests. Cotter has been serving in the PP&L EnergyPlussenior vice president position since October.

Marketers considering whether to enter soon-to-be deregulatedelectricity and gas markets should re-evaluate strategies in lightof the experience of gas marketers in Georgia. Late entrystrategies may be very risky, according to an analysis of Georgia’sgas deregulation process by Atlanta-based Energy Market Solutions.

Large commercial and industrial customers in Southern Californiashould experience further rate relief on their natural gas billsnext year, but the declines will be modest, according to aCalifornia Public Utilities Commission staff manager in charge oftwo pending rate cases for Southern California Gas Co., whichcontinues to keep a wary eye on new proposed interstate pipelinesthat would like to hook up directly to some of its largestcustomers.

Large commercial and industrial customers in Southern Californiashould experience further rate relief on their natural gas billsnext year, but the declines will be modest, according to aCalifornia Public Utilities Commission staff manager following twopending rate cases for Southern California Gas Co., which continuesto keep a wary eye on new proposed interstate pipelines that wouldlike to hook up directly to some of its largest customers.

AGL Resources is capitalizing on the experience gained in theprecedent-setting unbundling of its Atlanta Gas Light subsidiary,organizing a separate partnership to offer all the services acompany will need to move into the competitive market.

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.