Avista Corporation, an energy company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy and energy-related businesses in the United States and Canada. The company operates through two segments, Avista Utilities and Advantage IQ. The Avista Utilities segment engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy primarily from hydroelectric and thermal sources. This segment also distributes natural gas to retail customers in parts of eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of northeast and southwest Oregon, as well as engages in wholesale purchase and sale of electricity and natural gas. As of December 31, 2009, it provided retail electric service to approximately 356,000 customers; and retail natural gas service to approximately 316,000 customers. This segment offers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The Advantage IQ segment provides utility expense management solutions to assess and manage utility costs and usage to multi-site companies in North America. It offers invoice processing, auditing and payment services, energy procurement, reporting, and advanced analysis, as well as provides analytical support, reporting, and consulting services. In addition, Avista’s other investments and operations include sheet metal fabrication of electronic enclosures, parts, and systems for the computer, telecom, renewable energy, and medical industries; real estate investments, primarily commercial office buildings; and investments in venture capital funds and low income housing. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Spokane, Washington.

Compressco Partners puts the pressure on before the natural gas and oil wells run dry. The company specializes in providing services to more than 400 natural gas and oil companies across 14 states to increase production and total recoverable reserves. The company offers compression, liquids separation, and gas metering services, as well as the GasJack units that perform these operations. It applies its services primarily to mature wells, but also on newer wells, which have declined in production. Compressco Partners, a subsidiary of TETRA Technologies, also provides well evaluations and well testing and monitoring services in Mexico.

Wheelabrator Technologies is on a roll. A subsidiary of solid-waste processing giant Waste Management, the company operates municipal-waste incinerators and trash-to-steam plants that convert 7 million tons of municipal solid waste annually into energy. Wheelabrator operates 16 waste-to-energy plants that burn solid waste to produce high-pressure steam; that steam turns turbines, generating more than 800 MW of electricity -- enough to power more than 900,000 homes. It also has five independent power producers (IPPs) that combust a combination of trash, waste wood, tires, coal, and gas to generate another 200 MW of electricity. Wheelabrator operates in the northeastern US, California, Florida, and Washington.

Caithness region might well serve as an inspiration for Caithness Corp., which develops wind and other renewable power plants in the US under the Caithness Energy brand. Although the firm has focused on the development, acquisition, operation, and management of geothermal, hydroelectric, wind, and solar energy power projects, it also develops environmentally friendly fossil-fueled plants. Caithness is one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the US, and has developed more than 350 MW of geothermal projects, 160 MW of solar plants, and 440 MW produced by wind turbines. On the cleaner fossil fuel plant side it has also developed more than 2,000 MW of gas-turbine powered capacity.

BKW FMB Energy has been lighting up the lives of the Swiss for more than a century. BKW produces, transmits, and distributes energy to more than 1 million residential and business end users in Switzerland and neighboring countries. The company also trades in energy. BKW operates about 13 hydroelectric plants and one nuclear power plant; it has stakes in another 15 hydroelectric plants, three nuclear power plants, and two plants that generate electricity from wind, solar and biomass sources. The total generating capacity of its plants is 640 MW. The government of the canton of Bern owns more than half of BKW.

Scottish and Southern can speak with a Scottish burr or a southern English clip. The integrated company is one of the UK's top energy firms, distributing power and gas to 9.2 million customers through subsidiaries Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro Electric, SWALEC, and Atlantic Electric and Gas. Scottish and Southern's regulated utility assets include 79,300 miles of power transmission and distribution lines that serve 3.5 million end-users. Scottish and Southern has 11,300 MW of generating capacity. It also distributes gas to 5.7 million customers. Other operations include gas exploration, energy trading, wind farms, electrical and environmental contracting, gas storage, and retail appliance sales.

One of the country's largest water utilities, AWG provides regulated water, wastewater, and environmental services to some 6 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers through its Anglian Water unit. Anglian Water operates primarily in the east of England. The AWG Property unit is engaged in commercial and residential property development AWG's Morrison Facilities Services unit provides a repair and maintenance service to homes and businesses in the UK. AWG was acquired in 2006 by Osprey Acquisitions Limited.

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.

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.

These electric cooperatives serve more than 750,000 residents, businesses, industries and farms in a 15,000 sq. ml. service area. It operates four electric power plants and a 1,450-mile trasmission system, and maintains the Tuttle Creek Reservoir in Southwest Indiana. Hoosier Energy is part of the Touchstone Energy network of electric cooperatives.Who's yer daddy? In terms of providing electricity, for many Indianans (and some residents of Illinois) that would be Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, which provides wholesale electric power to 18 member distribution cooperatives in 48 central and southern Indiana counties, and 11 counties in southeastern Illinois.

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