Empire District Electric (EDE) has the sovereign authority to light up its territory. The utility transmits and distributes electricity to a population base of more than 450,000 (or about 215,000 direct customers) in southwestern Missouri and adjacent areas of Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It also supplies water to three Missouri towns and natural gas throughout most of the state. EDE's interests in fossil-fueled and hydroelectric power plants give it a generating capacity of 1,257 MW; it also buys and sells power on the wholesale market. In addition, the company is pursuing nonregulated opportunities such as leasing capacity on its fiber-optic network.

Southern California Edison (SCE) distributes electricity to a population of more than 13 million people in central, coastal, and Southern California (excluding Los Angeles and some other cities in the regions). The utility's system consists of about 12,000 circuit miles of transmission lines and more than 113,500 circuit miles of distribution lines. SCE also has 5,500 MW of net generating capacity from interests in nuclear, hydroelectric, and fossil-fueled power plants; it sold most of its fossil-fueled facilities in response to the state's deregulation legislation. The utility sells excess power to wholesale customers. SCE is a subsidiary of Edison International.

PG&E Corporation is well on the way to fully recharging its batteries after losing power and declaring bankruptcy following California's energy crisis and the ensuing collapse of the wholesale energy trading industry. Its venerable Pacific Gas and Electric utility serves approximately 5.1 million electric customers and 4.3 million natural gas customers in California. The utility (founded in 1905) is also engaged in electricity generation; procurement and transmission; and natural gas procurement, transportation, and storage. In September 2010 a PG&E utility gas transmission line ruptured in San Bruno, causing a major fire, loss of life, and destruction of, or damage to, about 170 homes.

Environmental, Safety & Health, Inc. (ES&H) will follow through. Serving US companies and government agencies, ES&H provides training and services for safety, health, environmental, and regulatory concerns. The company also offers general contractor services for construction, demolition, and remediation projects. Clients include corporations like Schering-Plough and Alcoa, as well as districts or regional divisions of government agencies like the FAA and US Army Corps of Engineers. Founded in 1997, ES&H is based in Tennessee and operates offices in Delaware and Louisiana.

Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (HEPCO) distributes electricity to almost 3.9 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the northernmost Japanese island, Hokkaido. The company operates more than 46,760 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and it owns thermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power plants (including the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Tomari Power Station). HEPCO also purchases and markets wholesale energy; other operations include engineering and construction, energy consulting, electrical appliance sales, telecommunications, information technology, and utility-related services. New businesses include medical imaging systems and realty. The company was founded in 1951.

SCANA is cooking with (natural) gas and electricity all over South and North Carolina, and Georgia. The holding company serves 659,000 electricity customers and more than 1 million gas customers in the neighboring states through utilities South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), Public Service Company of North Carolina, and SCANA Energy (in Georgia). SCANA has an electric generating capacity of about 4,900 MW, derived from fossil-fueled power plants and hydroelectric and nuclear generation facilities. Unregulated operations include retail and wholesale energy marketing and trading, gas transportation, power plant management, fiber-optic telecommunications services, and appliance and HVAC maintenance.

Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc., an energy services company, distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation customers in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It also operates various energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas storage, and intrastate natural gas transportation. As of October 31, 2009, the company served 952,469 retail customers and 61,000 customers served by municipalities. Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline (Tennessee) is one of the several interstate pipelines that make up El Paso Corporation’s Pipeline Group. Tennessee is comprised of approximately 14,000 miles and 1.4mm certificated horsepower. The pipeline stretches from the Mexican border to Canada. Tapping supply regions in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Appalachia, and Canada, the Tennessee system serves markets across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions, including major metropolitan centers such as Chicago, New York, and Boston.Tennessee’s assets receive natural gas supplies from Canada, including Nova Scotia, and emerging liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard, as well as emerging domestic supplies from several shale regions. Additionally, the company is poised for continued growth as new natural gas-fired power generation facilities are built to meet the increasing electricity demand along its pipeline route. Well connected, Tennessee has more than 100 interconnects with most major interstate and intrastate pipeline systems serving the Midwest, Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and southeastern United States. Tennessee is prepared to meet the demands of a growing market with the integrity and commitment to service that have made it one of the safest and most reliable pipelines in the United States.

NSTAR is looking to outshine its rivals through the efficiency of its regulated electric and natural gas sales, distribution, and transmission operations. The utility holding company transmits and distributes electricity to almost 1.2 million homes and businesses through NSTAR Electric and serves some 300,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts through NSTAR Gas. The company also markets wholesale electricity, and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing and storage facilities. Its NSTAR Communications unit owns about 240 miles of fiber optic network. In 2010 the company agreed to be acquired by Northeast Utilities for about $4.2 billion.

Allegheny Energy, Inc. owns and operates electric generation facilities, and delivers electric services to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. The company owns or contractually controls coal-, gas-, and oil-fired generation facilities, as well as hydro generation facilities. It operates in two segments, The Merchant Generation and The Regulated Operations. The Merchant Generation segment owns, operates, and manages electric generation facilities, as well as purchases and sells energy and energy-related commodities. This segment markets its electric generation capacity to various customers and markets, including certain of its affiliates, as well as uses both derivative and nonderivative contracts to manage its portfolio of contracts. As of December 31, 2009, it owned or contractually controlled 7,015 megawatts of generation capacity. The Regulated Operations segment operates electric public utility systems that include electricity generation, transmission, and distribution facilities. As of December 31, 2009, it owned or contractually controlled 2,741 megawatts of generation capacity. This segment served approximately 383,600 customers in northern West Virginia; approximately 483,400 customers in portions of West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia; approximately 102,000 customers in northern Virginia; and approximately 714,900 customers in southwestern, south-central, and northern Pennsylvania. The company is headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

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