Already operating at about two-thirds of capacity,energy-intensive aluminum smelting plants in the Pacific Northwestare facing further cutbacks and plant closings because of highpower prices that have some of the operators looking at developingtheir own natural gas-fired generators. At risk are five companiesand ten smelting plants.
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Cisco Blocks New Silicon Valley Power Plant
In what is a harbinger for other electricity-intensive high-techcorridors that have sprung up in various regions of the U. S., alocal zoning decision in the midst of California’s Silicon Valleycould decide the fate of a new generating plant that everyoneagrees is badly needed to serve the rapidly growing powerrequirements of the Internet-connected, new economy businesses.
J.P. Morgan: Tech Boom = Gas Company Boom
In the new economy, while energy-intensive industrial businesslags, the growing information technology (IT) and telecom sectors”should account for an increasingly large piece of the total energypie,” according to an industry analysis report released by J.P.Morgan. And some will profit more than others, the financial giantsaid, in naming seven natural gas-based companies the winners inthe new market.