Alpiq (formerly Aare-Tessin Ltd. for Electricity, or Atel) is the largest supplier of electricity in Switzerland. It generates electricity by means of hydro, nuclear, and coal power, then trades and distributes it through its transmission grid across Switzerland and 28 other European countries. Its main markets include Italy, Germany, France, and countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Alpiq has 5,270 MW of generating capacity. The company also provides energy services including engineering, construction, and maintenance. Atel merged with fellow Swiss energy company EOS Holding in 2009 and became Alpiq. EOS owns 31% of the company; French energy giant EDF, 25%.

Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (HEPCO) distributes electricity to almost 3.9 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the northernmost Japanese island, Hokkaido. The company operates more than 46,760 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and it owns thermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power plants (including the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Tomari Power Station). HEPCO also purchases and markets wholesale energy; other operations include engineering and construction, energy consulting, electrical appliance sales, telecommunications, information technology, and utility-related services. New businesses include medical imaging systems and realty. The company was founded in 1951.

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.

Southwest Louisiana Electric Membership Corporation (SLEMCO) is no slowpoke when it comes to serving more than 93,400 power customers in eight Louisiana parishes. SLEMCO provides regulated power transmission and distribution services via 9,000 miles of power lines to its residential, commercial, and industrial members. It also provides energy conservation and street and security lighting services. SLEMCO extended assistance to help repair the badly damaged infrastructure in parishes from New Orleans to the Mississippi border following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Vermont Gas Systems was established in 1965 to supply natural gas to 6,400 customers in Chittenden and Franklin Counties. Over the years, residents and businesses in these communities have recognized natural gas to be a clean, efficient and abundant form of energy. Over 40,000 customers now recognize Vermont Gas’ commitment to providing safe, economical service. The Vermont Gas story begins in the abundant natural gas fields of Alberta, Canada. Our natural gas is transported across Canada via the TransCanada PipeLine and enters Vermont Gas Systems’ main pipeline at Highgate, on the Vermont/Canada border. Our customers are served through a network of more than 650 miles of underground transmission and distribution lines.

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is all about is the company, with offices in the US and UK, uses a proprietary system called PowerBouy to generate electricity using the mechanical energy produced when offshore waves move the anchored buoys up and down. OPT offers a buoy system that connects to power grids as well as an autonomous one that can be used in remote locations and for tsunami monitoring, oceanographic data collection, and offshore aquaculture. Customers include the US Navy, Spanish power producer Iberdrola, and Spanish energy firm TOTAL. It has a contract with Lockheed Martin to build a large power generation system off the west coast of the US.

Bangor Hydro-Electric (BHE) has dropped its hydro, but the company still has plenty of electricity. As part of the restructuring of the electric utility industry in the state of Maine, BHE has shed its generating facilities, including its hydroelectric projects, to focus on distribution and transmission. The regulated utility serves 117,000 customers in six counties in southeastern Maine. The company is also a member of the New England Power Pool. Bangor Hydro-Electric is a subsidiary of Canada's Emera, the parent company of electric utility Nova Scotia Power.

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.

Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County, Washington (or Cowlitz County Public Utility District), a Depression era institution that provides electric utility services to 47,400 customers (including 42,400 residential customers and 5,200 commercial clients) in its service territory. The municipal utility also serves more than 3,800 Longview-Kelso area water utility customers. Like 27 other PUDs in Washington state, Cowlitz County Public Utility District has the authority to offer electric, water, wastewater, and wholesale telecommunication service.

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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