Utility Financing of Energy Projects

Proposals to deregulate the electric industry have created a tre-mendous surge of activity. Utility planners are busy creating new andexciting businesses for this competitive future. ''Value-added service"is the catch phrase in most plans .Many utilities are reeling under the impact of these proposals,but a caution, they have yet to arrive! Some view the future withexcitement , others with trepidation, a few of our colleagues with gloomas they look for a job.The transformation that is about to happen in the utility industrywill happen regardless of regulatory influences. Customer s are alreadydemanding more services. Their expectations have been set.Customers expect to be provided with the most competitive com-binati on of energy sources and technologies for their business . Newcompanies are being formed daily to meet this need. Specializing inhelping the owners and operators of buildings to cost effectively man-age energy consumption, energy service providers offer a wide portfolioof services. These range from a relatively simple, or so it may seem,commodity to very complex outsourcing deals. The mission is to winand r etain customers .Often these customers will not have to deal with kilowatt-hoursor therms. Services will be purchased as end uses like cooling andlighting. Which bring us pretty much back to where it all started.Thoma s Edison's original vision was for the supply of lighting, notelectricity.