The lights are big and bright deep in the heart of the Lone Star State thanks to AEP Texas Central (TCC). The utility, formerly named Central Power and Light, provides regulated electric utility services to 766.000 customers in its 100,000 sq. ml. service territory in south and west Texas. TCC operates more than 29,600 miles of transmission and distribution lines in Texas; its transmission assets are managed by ERCOT. In addition to distributing power, AEP Texas also reads electric meters. maintains and repairs power lines, and takes care of connections and disconnections.

Staying true to its more-than-a-century-old watery origins, Turlock Irrigation District (TID) provides irrigation services to almost 6,000 farmers in its service area (150,000 acres of farmland). The company also provides electric generation, transmission, and distribution services to more than 98,000 retail customers in and around Turlock, California, and it sells power to wholesale customers. TID became a generator and distributor of electricity in 1923. The district provides electric service to its customer base in a 662-sq.-ml. service area encompassing portions of Merced, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties.

EDP Renovaveis loves the feel of the wind and the sound of the waves. One of largest wind energy companies in world, EDP Renovaveis has an annual generation capacity of about 5MW. Other power sources include solar thermal and photovoltaic energy, which create electricity from steam and solar radiation conversion, respectively. The company is also developing ocean wave generation capabilities. EDP Renovaveis has wind generation facilities in nearly 10 countries; Spain and the US (through subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy) contribute the greatest part of its wind power generation capacity. The company is the renewable division of fellow Portuguese company EDP Group, the Iberian Peninsula's third largest energy firm.

United Water International, founded in 1995, is one of the largest water utility companies operating in towns and cities in both Australia and New Zealand (including major centers such as Adelaide, Ballarat, and Auckland). United Water International operates and maintains water and wastewater treatment plants as well as customer call centers. All told, the company serves somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 million customers. United Water International is owned by Halliburton unit KBR, and Veolia Environnement.

Southwest Louisiana Electric Membership Corporation (SLEMCO) is no slowpoke when it comes to serving more than 93,400 power customers in eight Louisiana parishes. SLEMCO provides regulated power transmission and distribution services via 9,000 miles of power lines to its residential, commercial, and industrial members. It also provides energy conservation and street and security lighting services. SLEMCO extended assistance to help repair the badly damaged infrastructure in parishes from New Orleans to the Mississippi border following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), which is in charge of supplying about 90% of San Diego County's potable water supply (mainly from the Colorado River). Formed in 1944, the authority provides water to its 24 member agencies (primarily cities and municipal districts), which in turn distribute the water to residents and businesses in the county. SDCWA also has hydroelectric power generation operations.

The Chugoku Electric Power Co. makes western Japan shine. The company generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to more than 5.2 million customers in the Chugoku region of western Japan. Approximately 89% of its customers are residential, and commercial and industrial customers account for the rest. The company's 110 power plants generate about 11,800 MW; traditional thermal plants generate about 65% of its power. Chugoku Electric intends to increase its use of nuclear power and is also researching alternative energy sources. In response to Japan's electricity market liberalization, the group is entering new business markets, including consulting, construction, fuel supply, and telecommunications.

Touchstone Energy keeps in touch with the energy of its members. The organization is a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric utility cooperatives providing service to more than 30 million customers through more than 660 affiliated cooperatives in 46 states. Touchstone Energy champions the cause of electric cooperatives nationwide through organizing branding events, media projects, and other public relations activities. The alliance runs television ads on various channels, including CNN, ESPN, TNT, The Weather Channel, TBS, and The Learning Channel. It also places print ads in national magazines and newspapers, including Reader's Digest and other major publications.

Good night John-Boy. This Walton family serves 118,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in northeastern Georgia. The Walton Electric Membership Corporation (Walton EMC) operates more than 6,700 miles of power lines spanning across all or portions of ten counties (Athens-Clarke, Barrow, DeKalb, Greene, Gwinnett, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Rockdale, and Walton). Subsidiary Walton EMC Natural Gas competes in the state's deregulated retail gas supply market. Other operations include security systems installation and monitoring, appliance sales and rebates, and outdoor lighting services.

Ohio Valley Electric and its subsidiary, Indiana-Kentucky Electric, generate power in the Ohio River Valley region. The company operates two coal-fired plants with collectively about 2,400 MW of generating capacity. Ohio Valley Electric's Kyger Creek Plant at Cheshire, Ohio, and Indiana-Kentucky Electric's Clifty Creek Plant at Madison, Indiana are linked by 776 miles of transmission lines. Most of Ohio Valley Electric's power goes to its shareholders, which include American Electric Power (39%), Buckeye Power Generating, LLC (18%), and Duke Energy Ohio (9%).

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.