Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington (or Chelan County PUD) provides power and water to residents of the county located in the middle of the Evergreen State. The utility operates three hydroelectric-generation facilities on or near the Columbia River that have a combined capacity of about 2,000 MW. About 30% of the district's electricity goes to its more than 47,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers; the rest is sold wholesale to other utilities operating in the northwestern US. Chelan County PUD also provides water and wastewater services to about 5,700 customers.

Catalytic Combustion Corporation clears the air -- literally and alliteratively. The company makes systems, processes, and products to help customers eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants in order to meet air-quality standards. Catalytic Combustion's catalysts -- substances that accelerate the rate of chemical reactions -- are used in a host of industries and products, ranging from appliances to graphic arts to nuclear power plants. The company makes catalysts from materials such as ceramics, metal foil, and wire mesh. Catalytic Combustion was founded in 1950.

NSTAR is looking to outshine its rivals through the efficiency of its regulated electric and natural gas sales, distribution, and transmission operations. The utility holding company transmits and distributes electricity to almost 1.2 million homes and businesses through NSTAR Electric and serves some 300,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts through NSTAR Gas. The company also markets wholesale electricity, and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing and storage facilities. Its NSTAR Communications unit owns about 240 miles of fiber optic network. In 2010 the company agreed to be acquired by Northeast Utilities for about $4.2 billion.

Clay Electric Cooperative covers a lot of ground in Florida. The utility distributes electricity to 14 counties in the northeastern part of the state, including the suburbs of Jacksonville and Gainesville. It delivers power to its 165,000 residential, commercial, and industrial members over more than 12,800 miles of transmission lines. The consumer-owned utility offers electronic funds transfer, average billing, and a seniors payment plan to residential customers, and backup diesel power generation and special rate plans to businesses. The consumer-owned utility has a stake in Seminole Electric Cooperative, which provides generation services to Clay Electric and nine other cooperatives.

RMT furnishes environmental engineering and consulting services to businesses that want to keep it clean. The company's services include solid waste management, liability reduction and remediation, air quality management, employee health and safety management, construction contracting, energy and alternative energy management, wastewater treatment, and data management services. RMT serves customers in the cement, chemicals, solid waste, electricity, forest products, metals, oil and gas, and textiles industries. Part of Alliant Energy's Integrated Services division, RMT operates 12 US offices with single locations in France and the UK.

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.

TransAlta has transformed itself from one of Canada's largest electric utilities into a global independent power producer with assets in Australia, Canada, and the US. The company has about about 8,990 MW of operational generating capacity. It trades and markets electricity and gas in Canada and the US. Most of TransAlta's generating capacity is coal-fired; the rest comes from gas-fired, hydroelectric, and alternative-energy plants. TransAlta has sold its regulated distribution and transmission businesses to focus on power generation and marketing, primarily to industrial and wholesale customers. The company has more than 80 power plants in Australia, Canada, and the US.

Edison has grown to become Italy's leading independent power producer, with 12,100 MW of hydroelectric, fossil-fueled, and wind-powered generating capacity. Much of Edison's electricity goes to Italy's largest utility, Enel; Edison also sells power to commercial and industrial businesses. The company has a focus on natural gas exploration, production, and marketing. It also distributes gas directly to 171,900 retail customers. In 2009 Edison reported proved reserves of 35.5 billion cu. meters of natural gas equivalent. The company is controlled by Transalpina di Energia Srl (61%) and Electricite de France (19%).

Minnesota Power can keep both Vikings and Packers warm. The utility, an operating unit of ALLETE, provides electricity to about 144,000 customers in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, as well as wholesale electricity to 16 municipal systems. Large industrial customers include Boise White Paper (a subsidiary of Boise Cascade) and Hibbing Taconite (a joint venture owned by ArcelorMittal, Cliffs, and US Steel). Its largest purchasing contract is with the Square Butte Electric Co-op in North Dakota -- Minnesota Power gets half of Square Butte's output -- but the company is attempting to transition from Square Butte's traditionally coal-generated energy to wind power.

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.

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