Successful

Confident in the pliability of their wildly successful businessmodel that has transformed the energy industry, Enron needed nodog-and-pony show as executives trotted out forecasts during aninvestor’s conference yesterday. In the space of a few hours, theHouston-based giant’s executives stressed one point again andagain: they fully expect to remain the leader in every field theyenter into the foreseeable future.

A successful transformation of its energy business brought a no-surprise expanded earnings forecast for 2001 last week from Tulsa-based Williams. The company expects to meet or beat Wall Street expectations of $1.26 per share for the entire company and $1.73 per share for its energy division, which has seen its marketing and trading earnings soar along with higher energy prices.

A successful transformation of its energy business brought ano-surprise expanded earnings forecast for 2001 yesterday fromTulsa-based Williams. The company expects to meet or beat WallStreet expectations of $1.26 per share for the entire company and$1.73 per share for its energy division, which has seen itsmarketing and trading earnings soar along with higher energyprices.

Detroit Edison reported that its unique bid-phased electricchoice program in Michigan continues to receive a positive responsefrom new participants using the system. The fifth and final bidphase of the program showed that demand for capacity on itsdistribution system again exceeded the amount of space available,as the company received over 70 requests.

After the recent successful completion of an open season on anadded 124,5000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity intoCalifornia along its 922-mile interstate pipeline, Williams’subsidiary Kern River Gas Transmission will announce another openseason this week, perhaps as early as today for additional newcapacity on the pipeline carrying Rocky Mountain supplies fromsouthwest Wyoming, a Salt Lake City-based Kern River spokespersonsaid Tuesday.

UtiliCorp United, Duke Energy and Enron have a lot in common,and it has a lot to do with how they “embrace and exploit change”rather than resist it, according to Arthur Andersen’s Doug King.King, a partner in the London office, told attendees at the HoustonEnergy Symposium last week that the three companies have learnedthe same lessons, which have led to their present success.

After the recent successful completion of an open season on anadded 124,5000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity intoCalifornia along its 922-mile interstate pipeline, Williams’subsidiary Kern River Gas Transmission will announce another openseason this week, perhaps as early as today for additional newcapacity on the pipeline carrying Rocky Mountain supplies fromsouthwest Wyoming, a Salt Lake City-based Kern River spokespersonsaid Tuesday.

UtiliCorp United, Duke Energy and Enron have a lot in common,and it has a lot to do with how they “embrace and exploit change”rather than resist it, said Arthur Andersen’s Doug King yesterday.King, a partner in the London office, told attendees at the HoustonEnergy Symposium that the three companies have learned the samelessons, which have led to their present success.

Florida is on its way toward a competitive power market, andTampa-based TECO Energy has some suggestions for a successfultransition.