Former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln Elected to Entergy's Board of Directors

Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) announced the election of former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln to its board of directors.

“We are pleased to add to the Entergy Board of Directors someone of Senator Lincoln’s intellectual depth and wide range of experiences and accomplishments,” said J. Wayne Leonard, Entergy’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Her leadership in finding common ground and practical solutions for today’s critical economic, environmental, social, and demographic issues made her one of the most respected members of Congress. Her advice and counsel will be invaluable to the board, shareholders and customers as we continue to define the corporation's role in the evolving world of increased transparency and social responsibility in the pursuit of the public good.”

Lincoln, 50, served two terms as the U.S. senator from Arkansas. In 1998, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate at age 38. She was reelected to the Senate from Arkansas in 2004, receiving more than half a million votes. In the most recently concluded 111th Congress, Lincoln was chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. During her 12 years in the Senate, she also served on the Senate Finance Committee; Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Special Committee on Aging.  

“I am very proud and honored to be asked to serve on the board of Entergy Corporation,” said Lincoln. “During my time in Congress I had the pleasure of working with Entergy as a responsible corporate citizen that brought a problem solving mentality to issues facing my home state. The company has an outstanding legacy in Arkansas dating back to its roots as Arkansas Power and Light. I am excited about this opportunity and look forward to being a productive member of the board.”

Details Here

first published week of:   02/07/2011

Fortune Names Sempra Energy's Debra L. Reed to 2011 List of ‘50 Most Powerful Women in Business’

Debra L. Reed, who was elected chief executive officer and a director of Sempra Energy in June, has been named to Fortune magazine’s 2011 list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” published online on September 29.

This year marks the first time Reed has been recognized on this prestigious annual list, which was launched in 1998 to honor successful women in business.

For this year’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” Fortune editors evaluated the top women in corporate America based on several criteria: the prosperity and global impact of their companies; career progression, milestones and accomplishments; and societal and cultural contributions.

Reed has worked for the Sempra Energy family of companies for 33 years. Prior to her election as chief executive officer, she served as executive vice president of Sempra Energy. Previously, she was president and chief executive officer of San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Co., Sempra Energy’s regulated California utilities.

Reed first joined Southern California Gas Co. in 1978 as an energy systems engineer. In 1988, she became the first female officer appointed at the company.

Details Here

first published week of:   10/03/2011

FPL's solar power plan gets new life

In a last ditch attempt to revive legislation that would let them control the market for solar power development in the state, Florida Power & Light has proposed a compromise that would allow state regulators to determine if they are entitled to raise rates to pay the costs of renewable energy plants.

The measure, which zipped through House and Senate committees, is intended to win the approval of Gov. Rick Scott, said Rep. Clay Ford, the chairman of the House Energy and Utilities Subcommittee.

The governor balked at provisions in the bill that now allow FPL -- and any other investor-owned utility that wants to develop renewable energy -- to automatically raise rates by 2 percent a year, said Fort, a Gulf Breeze Republican. A tea party group had complained about the plan.

“It was on life support,” Ford told the Herald/Times. By drafting a rewrite to give approval for the rate increases to the Public Service Commission, “it’s got a fresh life to it now,”' he said.

Ford said FPL sought the bill and is willing to make the investment needed to expand its solar energy generation, as long as it can get reimbursed from customers. The bill would allow FPL to hold a competitive advantage over other companies trying to get into Florida’s potentially lucrative renewable energy market.

Details Here

first published week of:   04/25/2011

French Fracking Ban Spreading to U.S.
New Jersy may follow suit

A move to ban to “fracking” is stretching across the Atlantic Ocean. The French parliament has now voted to outlaw the controversial technique to withdraw shale-gas. And now the New Jersey legislature has done the same, although the conservative governor there must still sign the measure if it is to become law.

France and New Jersey may ban fracking until the process can be certified as totally safe. But that may not be the fate in other states in this country where huge shale gas deposits can be found. What the movement asserts is that natural gas developers will come clean and divulge the secret sauce they are using to ply the gas loose from the rocks where it is embedded. “We are at the end of a legislative marathon that stirred emotion from lawmakers and the public,” French Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet told the French press before the vote, as reported by Bloomberg. “Hydraulic fracturing will be illegal and parliament would have to vote for a new law to allow research using the technique.”

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a production technique that involves the high-pressure pumping of water, sand and chemicals deep underground so as to break free the natural gas. Critics say it does not just pollute the water but it also requires vast amounts of water that is in short supply. Proponents say they spend enumerable resources ensuring it is totally safe.

Details Here

first published week of:   07/11/2011

Fukushima Daiichi Video

Tokyo Electric Power Co. released this new video documenting recovery efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Tuesday.

Developments this week at the power station severely damaged following Japan’s March 11 earthquake include:

A typhoon in Japan Thursday that killed at least 16 people did not worsen the situation at the plant. TEPCO reported that several surveillance cameras were damaged, but that it does not believe radioactive water or other material reached the environment because of the storm.

TEPCO will soon install additional air filtration equipment to reduce dose rates inside units 1 through 3, the Nuclear Energy Institute reported. TEPCO also updated the estimated completion date for a barrier under construction around unit 1 to separate the reactor building from the environment. It is should be completed by mid-October.

Details Here

first published week of:   09/26/2011

Game-Changing Energy Technologies

Sometimes it is the little things that matter most.

With that in mind, the Electric Power Research Institute is putting $1 million of seed money annually behind each of four potential breakthrough technologies.

One would allow real-time, three dimensional imaging of vital power plant parts. Another would allow for robotic inspection of power lines. A third would speed removal of contaminants from nuclear power plants. And a fourth involves on-site production of activated carbon to reduce the expense of mercury emissions controls at coal powered generating units. New technologies, large and small, are top of mind at EPRI and increasingly across the power industry. And it involves more than increased efficiency.

Michael W. Howard, president and chief executive officer of EPRI, said his organization is very interested in “electric transportation and associated energy storage technologies that will enable the widespread use of electricity as a viable fuel source for every-day transportation.”

And EPRI is also interested in what it takes to “provide a reliable power system capable of supporting the greater penetration of renewable resources,” he said.

Details Here

first published week of:   02/21/2011

Volume 31

-->