Czechs want to power up, they turn to state-controlled EZ, (the lead company of CEZ Group) which produces, distributes, and sells electricity and heat to 3.5 million customers in the Czech Republic. EZ, formed by the government in 1992, is now publicly traded, although in 2008 the government continued to control 63% of its stock. Subsidiaries and affiliates of EZ form what is known as the CEZ Group, which has operations in coal mining and power generation and marketing across Central and Southeastern Europe. The CEZ Group serves 7 million customers and has about 12,200 MW of generating capacity.

Union Gas has a habit of bringing natural gas and energy consumers together. The utility, a subsidiary of midstream maven Spectra Energy transmits and distributes natural gas to more than 1.3 million residential and business customers in more than 400 communities throughout most of the Canadian province of Ontario. It also provides gas transportation and storage services for other utilities and businesses in Canada and the US. Union Gas operates 3,000 miles of transmission pipeline, 37,000 miles of distribution main and service pipeline, and 22 underground storage facilities.

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) keeps the lights on in the Pacific Northwest. The US Department of Energy power marketing agency operates a transmission grid (with more than 15,000 miles of high-voltage lines) that delivers about 35% of the electrical power consumed in the region. The electricity that BPA wholesales is generated primarily by 31 federal hydroelectric plants and one private nuclear facility. BPA also purchases power from other hydroelectric, gas-fired, and wind and solar generation facilities in North America. Founded in 1937, BPA sells power to more than 140 primary customers, mainly public and investor-owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest.

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.

Terasen Gas is the largest natural gas distribution company in British Columbia. A Fortis subsidiary, it is the third-largest gas utility in Canada and the largest natural gas distributor in the Pacific Northwest. The utility serves 940,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 125 communities in BC. Terasen Gas also provides gas transportation services to wholesale customers, operates a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, and pipes propane products to select areas of the province. Terasen Gas serves mainland British Columbia;Terasen Gas (Vancouver Island) serves Vancouver Island, the Powell River and the Sunshine Coast; and Terasen Gas (Whistler) provides natural gas to the town of Whistler.

Northeast Utilities (NU) uses a little Yankee ingenuity (and a number of power generation plants) to keep its customers powered up. The largest utility in New England, NU supplies power to more than 2 million customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts through subsidiaries Connecticut Light and Power, Public Service Company of New Hampshire, and Western Massachusetts Electric. The company's power grid encompasses more than 3,100 circuit miles of overhead transmission lines and more than 32,800 pole miles of distribution lines. NU's Yankee Gas utility provides natural gas to 205,000 customers in Connecticut. In 2010 the company offered to buy regional rival NSTAR in for $4.2 billion.

Severn Trent Services is intent on providing cleaner water for consumers around the globe. The company, a subsidiary of UK-based Severn Trent, provides water and wastewater purification services and products to utilities, bottling companies, and other clients, primarily in the US and the UK. Operations include water filtration and disinfection technologies, contract operations and maintenance, pipeline rehabilitation, and state-of-the-art residential metering products and services. Severn Trent Services' international management services unit supports all aspects of water and wastewater utility management.

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), a subdivision of the Nebraska state government, OPPD generates and distributes electricity to residents and businesses in 13 counties in southeastern Nebraska. It operates and maintains its facilities without tax revenues and raises money for major construction through bonds. OPPD serves more than 340,000 customers in an area covering 5,000 sq. mi. The utility has a generating capacity of more than 3,220 MW, which is powered by nuclear, coal, oil, and natural gas sources. It sells wholesale power to other utilities and offers energy consulting and management services.

ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC) invests in the electricity transmission grid to improve electric reliability, expand access to markets, lower the overall cost of delivered energy and allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems. The largest independent electricity transmission company in the country, ITC operates high-voltage transmission systems in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, serving a combined peak load in excess of 25,000 megawatts through its regulated operating subsidiaries, ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company (METC), ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains. ITC also focuses on new areas where significant transmission system improvements are needed through ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries.

PNM Resources, Inc. company's primary utility unit, Public Service Company of New Mexico, distributes electricity to nearly 500,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the state. PNM Resources operates power plants with more than 2,700 MW of generating capacity and markets energy to wholesale customers in the western US. Its Texas-New Mexico Power Company (TNMP) unit provides transmission and distribution services at regulated rates to about retail electricity providers that, in turn, provide retail electric service to 230,000 end users. Subsidiary First Choice Power is a retail electric provider operating in Texas and serving 234,000 customers.

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