Starting

Retail gas competition is starting to pick up speed inCalifornia despite continued consumer apathy, according to a surveyof the state’s three gas distribution utilities released last week.

Starting Friday, about 90,000 gas consumers in 165 Nebraskacommunities served by KN Energy will begin two weeks of shoppingfor alternative suppliers. Three suppliers have signed up for theone-year pilot, including KN’s unregulated energy services arm,Brighton, CO-based United Gas Service, and Public Alliance forCommunity Energy, an organization of 33 municipalities based inLincoln, NB. KN, the regulated utility, will serve as the defaultsupplier. Supply and transportation services will remain on asingle bill mailed by KN.

Consolidated Edison announced it plans to sell two-thirds (5,500MW) of its New York City electric generation plants in an auctionstarting this summer. Its plants will be divided into threebundles. Each bundle will include a major generating facility-theRavenswood Generating Station in Long Island City, the AstoriaGenerating Station in Astoria, or the Arthur Kill Station on StatenIsland-and gas turbine generating facilities in Queens andBrooklyn. The company plans to sell two of the bundles throughauction and retain the remaining bundle, which has not yet beenidentified. It expects to receive authorization from the New YorkState Public Service Commission (PSC) by July 1. The auctionprocess would begin later that month, with the winning bidders tobe announced in January 1999.