British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, which operates as BC Hydro, distributes electricity to the 1.8 million residential and business customers. The province-owned utility owns more than 46,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and it operates hydroelectric and fossil-fueled power plants about 11,350 MW of generating capacity. Subsidiary Powerex markets and trades energy throughout North America. To increase efficiencies in green power production, in 2010 BC Hydro consolidated its transmission operations with those of the province-owned British Columbia Transmission. A Crown corporation owned by British Columbia, BC Hydro is regulated by British Columbia Utilities Commission.

China Yangtze Power co. (CYPC) generates hydropower on the Yangtze River from its two hydropower plants -- The Three Gorges Power Plant and Gezhouba Power Plant. CYPC oversees China's Three Gorges Dam project (the world's largest hydroelectric dam) on behalf of China Yangtze Three Gorges Development, which holds more than 60% of CYPC. In addition the company also provides production technology consultancy, water electric construction support, and repair and maintenance services. It also manages and invests in other power projects. CYPC manages a generating capacity of about 12,600 MW. The company was founded in 2002.

Clearford Industries provides water and wastewater management and sewage treatment services throughout North America. For rural areas the company's patented Small Bore Sewer technology obviates the need for a septic tank by using pipes with a narrow diameter -- as opposed to larger ones used in urban systems -- to transport waste from a residence to a wastewater treatment plant. In 2008 the company sold its Brooklin Concrete division, a leading producer of septic tanks in Ontario, to Armtec Limited Partnership.

Great River Energy powers up cooperatives along the Great River Road. The utility provides wholesale electricity to more than 1.7 million people (at more than 639,000 homes, businesses, and farms) through 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It operates more than 4,500 miles of transmission lines and has more than 2,800 MW of capacity from fossil-fueled, hydroelectric, and renewable power generation facilities. The company also owns or partially owns more than 100 transmission substations. Great River Energy is the #2 electric utility in Minnesota, in terms of generating capacity, and one of the top five largest generation and transmission cooperatives in the US (based on assets).

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.

EDP-Energias de Portugal, S.A. engages in the generation, supply, and distribution of electricity. It operates hydroelectric and thermal power stations, as well as wind, coal, and natural gas combined cycle power plants. EDP-Energia also involves in the supply and distribution of natural gas. It primarily operates in Portugal, Spain, France, Brazil, and the United States. EDP-Energia was incorporated in 1976 and is based in Lisbon, Portugal

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.

PJM Interconnection, which oversees a 56,350-mile section of the North American power transmission grid that spans across 13 northeastern and midwestern states and the District of Columbia. The regional transmission organization monitors and coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in its service territory; its more than 560 members have a combined generating capacity of about 164,000 MW. Sanctioned by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, PJM is charged with ensuring fair competition among power purchasers, sellers, and traders; it also is responsible for the reliable delivery of distributed electricity to about 51 million consumers in its territory.

Taiwan Power (Taipower) is looking to get by with a little help from its friends. With a generating capacity of more than 38,080 MW, the state-owned utility serves nearly 12 million industrial, commercial, and residential customers. Thermal sources (coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas) fuel most of Taipower's plants; nuclear energy and hydroelectric sources make up the balance. Unable to meet Taiwan's power needs on its own, the utility has opened its market to independent power producers, allowing companies to build power plants and sell to Taipower. Taipower has resumed construction on the nation's fourth nuclear plant. The Taiwan government has announced plans to privatize Taipower (it owned 97% in 2009).

Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, Aquarion distributes water to more than 180,000 homes and businesses (or about 580,000 people) in some 39 communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It is one of the 10 largest investor-owned utilities in the US. The company's Aquarion Services unit provides contract management of municipal water and wastewater systems, along with engineering and management consulting services and consumer water line protection plans. In 2007 UK-based Kelda Group sold control of Aquarion to Australia's Macquarie Bank for $860 million.

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