South West Water, one of the main subsidiaries of Pennon Group, provides water and wastewater services to 1.6 million people (more during the summer tourism season) in England's South West region. The company's service territory covers nearly 4,300 square miles and includes Devon, Cornwall, and parts of Dorset and Somerset. South West Water maintains more than 9,320 miles of water mains. Because 8 million tourists come to the region annually to swim at its numerous beaches, the utility is responsible for environmental cleanup in the region. It instituted a Clean Sweep program to improve the treatment of coastal sewage and meet European Union guidelines. The utility was privatized in 1989.

Ferrostaal Incorporated is betting on the sun. The company is a subsidiary of the German industrial and heavy construction conglomerate Ferrostaal AG and provides its parent's alternative energy business in North America. It operates, with Solar Millennium, a joint venture called Solar Trust of America (STA) that concentrates on solar power generation. The International Petroleum Investment Company of Abu Dhabi bought a majority stake in Ferrostaal from MAN SE in 2009 and dropped the former parent company's brand from what had been called MAN Ferrostaal.

Owensboro, Kentucky (named after Abraham Owen, a Shelby County legislator killed in the Battle of Tippecanoe) is served by Owensboro Municipal Utilities, which provides power to almost 26,000 customers and water to 24,500. The city-owned utility operates water treatment facilities and a power plant that uses coal and used tires for fuel. Its operating divisions are Elmer Smith power plant, Engineering & Operations, Water Production, and Customer Service Center. It also offers telecommunications services. Owensboro Municipal Utilities is overseen by the five-member Owensboro Utility Commission, which is appointed by the mayor of Owensboro.

Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative keeps the power flowing to the residences and businesses of more than 200,360 member-owners in five counties along the central Florida Gulf Coast. The power distribution utility, which was originally set up in 1941, receives wholesale generation and transmission services from the Seminole Electric Cooperative. Withlacoochee River Electric, a non-profit organization, returns any funds remaining at the end of each year to its membership. The cooperative has returned more than $190 million to its member-owners.

United Water is a part of global water player SUEZ Environnement, and is one of the largest water companies in the US. The company distributes water and provides wastewater services to about 7 million people, including residential, commercial, and industrial customers. United Water provides services through a number of utility subsidiaries and through its contracts with several municipalities. The company operates almost 250 municipal water systems and owns utilities in 20 states across the country.

Avista Utilities' vista is the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain West. The utility, a subsidiary of integrated production, transmission, and distribution powerhouse Avista Corporation, provides regulated electricity and natural gas services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Avista Utilities provides power and gas services to about 673,000 customers (357,000 electric, and 316,000 gas). It serves power customers with a mix of hydro, natural gas, coal, and biomass generation (with a total capacity of 1,776 MW in 2009), and serves gas customers through purchased wholesale gas supply. The company sells excess electricity to wholesale customers.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) keeps the movie cameras running and the swimming pools full. The largest municipally owned utility in the US, LADWP provides electricity to more than 1.4 million residential and business customers and water to 640,000 customers. The company has power plant interests that give it more than 7,220 MW of generating capacity; it also buys and sells wholesale power. Most of the city's water supply is transported through two aqueduct systems from the Sierra Nevada Mountains; other water sources include wells and local groundwater basins. Because LADWP is city-owned, its retail monopoly status was unaffected by utility deregulation in California.

Shell International Renewables (doing business as Shell Renewables) may be able to turn them into fuel to power homes and vehicles. The company oversees many of the parent Royal Dutch Shell's operations in alternative fuels, was formed in 1997 to commercially explore the global possibilities of new low-carbon power systems. Shell Renewables markets and distributes alternative energies from the sun, the wind, hydrogen (technically an energy carrier rather than energy source), and bio-fuels worldwide. It is researching hydrogen created from natural gas and bio-fuels, made of everything from corn to algae, to replace gasoline in cars.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) helps lighten up the Memphis blues. The municipally owned utility provides electricity, water, and natural gas services for all of Shelby County, Tennessee, including the city of Memphis. It serves primarily residential and commercial customers. MLGW buys electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and distributes it to more than 420,000 customers. The company purchases natural gas on the spot market, transmits it through open access pipelines, and delivers it to about 320,000 customers. Through its artesian water system, MLGW supplies water to more than 257,000 customers.

Veolia Environnement holds water -- as well as waste management, energy, and transportation -- operations. The company's Veolia Eau unit, which provides water and wastewater services to more than 80 million people in more than 60 countries, is the world's largest water company, ahead of SUEZ Environnement. Veolia Environmental Services, one of the world's leading waste management companies, serves more than 70 million people a year. Majority-owned energy unit Dalkia (Veolia Energy Services) operates global cogeneration facilities and heating and cooling systems, and Veolia Transport (formerly Connex) is a top European provider of bus, light-rail, and rail transport and operates in about 30 countries.

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