Let's cut right to the point: construction materials and mining used to be the lifeblood of Knife River Corporation, but in recent years, its energy and utility operations have grown to be the largest portion of its business. Oil and natural gas production, power transmission, pipelines and power utilities now dominate Knife River's balance sheet. But don't count out its construction services division, which continues to produce record earnings. Knife River has operations in Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming. The company is a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, Inc.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation's service territory is smack dab in the middle of Tennessee. The utility company distributes electricity to about 180,000 residential and business customers (member/owners) in four counties (Cannon, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson), via 10,000 miles of power lines connected to about 30 electric distribution substations. Middle Tennessee Electric purchases its power supply from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The corporation is Tennessee's largest electric cooperative and the sixth largest in the US.

United Utilities Group PLC, through its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, operation, and maintenance of water and wastewater networks in the United Kingdom and internationally. It supplies water covering a population of approximately 7 million people, and 2.9 million households and business premises; and involves in the collection and treatment of wastewater through a network of 43,419 kilometers of sewers. The company also operates electricity distribution network, and high voltage networks for businesses; and gas distribution network, as well as pipes and the equipment used to pump, condition, and store gas. In addition, United Utilities Group PLC provides consulting services and project management services; property management services; multi-utility metering operations and metering installation services; technical and management services; and asset management services. The company was formerly known as United Utilities Newco Limited and changed its name to United Utilities Group PLC in April 2008. United Utilities Group PLC was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Warrington, the United Kingdom.

Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A. – Eletrobras primarily engages in the generation, distribution, transmission, and commercialization of electric power; and construction and operation of nuclear power plants in Brazil. The company also assists Brazil's Ministry of Mining and Energy in designing the country's policy for the energy sector; provides guarantees and acquires debentures of companies and holders of public electric power services; grants loans and guarantees for technical and scientific research institutions; promotes and supports research in the power sector in connection with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power, as well as studies involving the exploitation of watershed for various purposes; contributes to the education of technical staff and qualified workers required by the Brazilian electric power sector through specialized training programs or assists national educational institutions or provides scholarships or signs agreements with foreign institutions that promote the development of specialized technical personnel; and co- operates technically and administratively with companies in which it holds interests, and with the agency of the Ministry of Mining and Energy. In addition, it manages incentive program for alternative sources of electric power, a program of the federal government that aims to enhance the diversification of the Brazilian energy model and search for regional solutions based on renewable electric power sources produced by independent agents. The company is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Enel S.p.A. owns and operates more than 70 renewable energy plants in 20 states and two Canadian provinces. Enel North America's plants have a capacity to generate 748.5 MW of power (406 MW of wind power, 314 MW of hydropower, 21 MW of biomass power and 7.5 MW of geothermal power). Its wind farms use Vestas and GE Energy turbines; its largest project, the Smoky Hill Wind Farm in Kansas, has 155 wind turbines that alone generate 250 MW of power (enough to power 85,000 homes for a year). Enel North America's only biomass plant is located in Quebec, where it offsets 1 million tons of carbon dioxide by burning wood waste each year.

Westar Energy wished upon a star, and the answer was -- "focus on power utility resources." Westar Energy has a generating capacity of more than 7,100 MW (mostly from fossil-fueled facilities) and serves about 685,000 electricity customers in Kansas through its utility subsidiaries. Westar Energy supplies power to 368,000 retail customers in central and northeast Kansas, and subsidiary Kansas Gas and Electric (KGE) supplies power to 317,000 retail customers in south-central and southeastern Kansas. The company operates 34,200 miles of transmission and distribution lines. It supplies wholesale electric power to more than 30 cities in Kansas and four electric cooperatives that serve rural areas.

Empresa Energetica de Mato Grosso Sul, or Enersul, brings electricity to the farmers and ranchers of Brazil's state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Cattle ranching and other crop cultivation (sugarcane, wheat, soybeans) are the region's main industries and the company's biggest customers. Enersul distributes 1.4 million megawatts of electricity to about 640,000 residential, industrial, and commercial customers via more than 70 municipalities across the state. It generates a small percentage of its power but most comes from Eletrosul parent ELETROBRAS and other sources. Enersul is owned by Energias do Brasil, which is controlled by EDP - - Energias de Portugal.

Pampa Energ�a is one of Argentina's largest fully integrated electricity companies. Through subsidiaries or co-controlled companies, it generates more than 7% of the total electricity in Argentina, transmits some 95% of the country's electricity through transmission lines owned and operated by subsidiary Transener, and distributes electricity to more than 2.6 million residential and commercial customers through subsidiary Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte (Edenor), the largest electricity distributor in Argentina. Pampa Energ�a maintains fossil fuel, thermal, and hydroelectric generation operations. Its distribution, transmission, and hydroelectric activities are regulated by Argentina's government.

Nicor Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in natural gas distribution business in the United States. Nicor Inc. distributes natural gas to approximately 2.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in northern Illinois. It also provides natural gas storage and transmission-related services to marketers and other gas distribution companies. The company’s gas distribution, transmission, and storage network includes approximately 34,000 miles of steel, plastic, and cast iron main; approximately 2.0 million steel, plastic/aluminum composite, plastic, and copper services connecting the mains to customers’ premises; and 8 underground storage fields. In addition, Nicor offers shipping services, including the transportation of containerized freight between Florida, the eastern coast of Canada, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean region. It transports building materials, and food and other necessities for developers, manufacturers, and residents in the Caribbean and the Bahamas; tourist-related shipments intended for use in hotels and resorts, and on cruise ships; and interisland shipments and northbound shipments of apparel and agricultural products, as well as provides inland transportation and cargo insurance services. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated a fleet of 11 owned vessels and 4 chartered vessels with a container capacity totaling approximately 5,270 Twenty-foot equivalent units. Further, it owns and/or leases containers, container-handling equipment, chassis, and other equipment. Additionally, Nicor involves in the marketing of energy-related products and services, including warranty and maintenance contracts, as well as repair and installation services of heating, air conditioning and indoor air-quality equipment, and customer move connection services for other utilities; and wholesale marketing of natural gas supply services. Nicor Inc. was founded in 1953 and is based in Naperville, Illinois.

First Electric Cooperative wasn't the first electric cooperative ever formed, but it was the first such entity created in its home state. The member-owned utility distributes power to more than 85,000 customers in 17 central and southeastern Arkansas counties. It also offers its members a range of energy products and value-added services, including energy efficient Marathon water heaters, surge and lightning protection equipment, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Some 72% of the cooperative's revenues come from residential customers; commercial and industrial customers account for another 20%, and the rest comes from such sources as irrigation and street lighting.

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