The Electric Power Board of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County is a mouthful. Its operating name, Nashville Electric Service (NES), sounds much better. And talking of sound, the legendary "Nashville Sound" would be hard to hear without the resources of this power distributor, which serves more than 357,000 customers in central Tennessee. NES is one of the largest government-owned utilities in the US, and operates more than 90,500 distribution transformers and about 230 substations. The company is required to purchase all its power from another government-owned operator, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, Aquarion distributes water to more than 180,000 homes and businesses (or about 580,000 people) in some 39 communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It is one of the 10 largest investor-owned utilities in the US. The company's Aquarion Services unit provides contract management of municipal water and wastewater systems, along with engineering and management consulting services and consumer water line protection plans. In 2007 UK-based Kelda Group sold control of Aquarion to Australia's Macquarie Bank for $860 million.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which supplies power to a population of 44 million customers in Tokyo, Yokohama, and the rest of the Kanto region. One of the world's largest electric utilities, TEPCO's 190 power plants have the generating capacity of approximately 64,000 MW, primarily produced by thermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric power sources. Through interests in telecom businesses, the company offers telephony and Internet services; it also has international consulting and power generation operations. Other businesses include construction, real estate, and transportation companies. It also invests in independent power producers in other countries.

Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is a leading electricity utility in Ireland, providing electricity generation, distribution, and supply. The state-owned company has several divisions that operate independently in the electricity market. Its ESB Power Generation unit operates 13 power stations in Ireland. Its generation plants have an installed capacity of more than 4,650 MW and serve a customer base of about 2 million. The group's ESB Networks owns the high-voltage transmission network and other distribution systems. ESB International develops power projects, including renewable energy plants worldwide; the company has installed 77 MW of wind farms in Ireland, and in 2010 acquired a 35 MW wind farm in Wales.

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, which operates as BC Hydro, distributes electricity to the 1.8 million residential and business customers. The province-owned utility owns more than 46,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and it operates hydroelectric and fossil-fueled power plants about 11,350 MW of generating capacity. Subsidiary Powerex markets and trades energy throughout North America. To increase efficiencies in green power production, in 2010 BC Hydro consolidated its transmission operations with those of the province-owned British Columbia Transmission. A Crown corporation owned by British Columbia, BC Hydro is regulated by British Columbia Utilities Commission.

The utility receives wholesale power through its membership in the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency. One of 32 municipal members of the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency, GUC joined the Power Agency in 1982.For Greenville citizens the alternative to "YUK!" (no power, natural gas supply, potable water, or sanitation), is GUC. Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC) distributes electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater services to residents and businesses in the city of Greenville, and 75% of Pitt County, in North Carolina, for a combined total of more than 143,000 customer connections.

Fortis wields power. The group has holdings in 10 companies, primarily regulated electricity and gas distributors, serving about 2 million customers. Its Terasen unit is the major natural gas distribution utility in British Columbia and serves approximately 940,000 customers. Newfoundland Power utility distributes electricity to 240,000 people, while Maritime Electric serves customers on Prince Edward Island. FortisOntario serves parts of Ontario, and FortisAlberta distributes electricity to 480,000 customers in Alberta. FortisBC generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in southern British Columbia. Fortis Generation operates hydroelectric plants, and Fortis Properties runs hotels in Canada.

Privatization is the light at the end of the tunnel for Companhia Energetica de Sao Paulo, one of Brazil's largest power generators. Known as CESP, the company is the largest generator of electricity used in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. CESP's six hydroelectric facilities (57 generation units) have a capacity of more than 7,456 MW. It gets most of its revenues from distribution utilities. Sao Paulo state government-controlled CESP previously had 22 power plants, but it spun off two generating companies and a transmission company in 1999. The slimmer CESP was targeted for auction, but the state government postponed the sale. CESP is restructuring its debt and is focusing on operational efficiency.

TransCanada Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. The company operates in two segments, Pipelines and Energy. The Pipelines segment develops and operates energy infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines, regulated gas storage facilities, and projects related to oil pipelines. As of December 31, 2009, its pipelines network extended approximately 60,000 kilometers tapping into various gas supply basins in North America. The Energy segment engages in the acquisition, development, construction, ownership, and operation of electrical power generation plants; the purchase and marketing of electricity; the provision of electricity account services to energy and industrial customers; and the development, construction, ownership, and operation of non-regulated natural gas storage in Alberta. As of December 31, 2009, its power generation plants had 11,700 megawatts of power generation capacity. TransCanada Corporation was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Infiltrator Systems is not connected to The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, spy satellites, or any other relic of Cold War espionage. The company is the world's leading maker of plastic leachfield products used to handle commercial and residential wastewater. Infiltrator Systems' leachfield drainage chambers are a direct and cost-effective replacement for stone and pipe leachfields, and create a footprint only half the size of traditional leachfields. The products, which are made at facilities in Kentucky and Utah, are sold throughout the US. The company estimates that one in four septic systems in the US uses Infiltrator Systems' products.

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