AEP: joining the rush back home

US utilities from AEP to Reliant are running scared from competitive retail markets outside the US. Only TXU, which also has to face deregulation back home in Texas, is presently capable of operating successfully in such a challenging environment.

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AES: cutbacks could hurt future growth

AES' languishing share price in the wake of Enron has forced it to scale back its growth plans. This is unfortunate, given that one of the long-term strengths of the company is its involvement in developing markets. If this situation continues, more US utilities may have to sell out to cash-rich foreign companies - as seen in Centrica's acquisition of NewPower.

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Aggreko: US still driving profits

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Anadarko/Apache: slipping up on oil

The country's two largest independent oil producers are suffering from lower commodity prices and overcapacity. However, the cyclical nature of the upstream oil market means that their long-term future should still be positive. Their best bet for now is to hold tight and plan for a better future, investing in new reserves that will not come online for a few years.

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Aquila: leaving the Midlands

In Enron's wake, US utilities have suffered from plummeting stock prices and weakening credit ratings. Aquila will move out of energy trading and will sell over $1 billion in assets, to bolster its balance sheet and secure its credit rating. UK power distributor Midlands Electricity is not an exciting business, but at firesale prices it should stir up plenty of interest from buyers.

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Aquila: pulling back after Enron

Aquila is cutting jobs in its trading operations, and denying that it will fold - even if its London trading center does. The trading operations are being cut because of the higher cost of capital and the market's wariness following the Enron collapse. The program to increase liquidity and cuts costs is a necessary one.

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Are we on the cusp of a shift toward greater use of cellular technologies in smart metering?

Consumers Energy (CE) has become the poster child of cellular smart meter deployment by bucking the trend of using utility built private networks to link individual meters to its head end system.

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Attitudes and expectations towards the oil market are shifting

Against a backdrop of increasing uncertainty over oil prices, authorities in the UK and US have met with the relevant parties to discuss potential alterations to the regulatory commodity trading environment. In the US, the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission is considering limits on oil trading positions, but such a policy may seem over-zealous once an upswing takes hold.

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Ballard: turning science fiction into fact

In the 1990s, fuel cells were one of many outlandish technologies competing to be the environmentally friendly power source of the future. But while others have hit dead ends, fuel cells are gaining ground. If their promise can be fulfilled, today's humble fuel cell producers could be among the energy giants of tomorrow.

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Banks are wary of environmental risks, but a switch to green lending is not inevitable

Some of the world's biggest banks will make it increasingly difficult for companies involved in controversial industries to get funding for future projects. Growing environmental scrutiny is making it harder for lenders to finance polluting industries without suffering a blow to their reputation, but a continued focus on profit means improved lending for green ventures is far from guaranteed.

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