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.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) doesn't want its name to be mud. One of the largest locally owned electric utilities in the US, SMUD serves about 592,000 residential and commercial customers in California's Sacramento and Placer counties. The utility generates half of its electricity (its 1,300-MW capacity is derived primarily from hydroelectric and cogeneration power plants) and buys the rest. SMUD also sells power to wholesale customers, and has one of the US's largest solar energy distribution systems. SMUD operates more than 10,200 miles of transmission and distibution lines across its 900-sq.-mi. service area.

"Hey Culligan Man!" To be sure, the phrase made famous by an ad campaign still rings in the ears of Culligan International workers. Formerly a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement, Culligan produces filters for tap water, household water softeners, microfiltration products, desalination systems, and portable deionization services for commercial and industrial users. The franchised "Culligan Man" noted in the advertising phrase delivers bottled water and water systems to consumers and businesses through more than 800 Culligan company-owned and franchised dealers in more than 90 countries. Buyout firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice owns the company.

Public Works Commission of the City of Fayetteville, North Carolina (PWC), which is responsible for operating, maintaining, and upgrading the municipal electric, water, and wastewater utility systems. PWC distributes electricity and water to more than 78,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The electric utility has about 930 miles of underground power lines, 24,100 distribution line transformers and more than 47,160 poles. The water utility has 1,260 miles of mains; the wastewater unit, 1,180 miles of sewer line.

Midwest Energy for their power and gas needs. The utility serves approximately 48,000 electricity customers and 42,000 natural gas customers in central and western Kansas. It also has some power generation operations; it purchases most of its electric supply from wholesale marketers. The company's Midwest United Energy subsidiary is a competitive natural gas supplier in four states, and its WestLand Energy unit sells propane to Kansas consumers; it has sold its telecommunications business. Midwest Energy was formed in 1981 when the Central Kansas Electric Cooperative acquired investor-owned Central Kansas Power.

Lee County Electric Cooperative's service territory includes Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Marco Island, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Pine Island, Everglades City, Immokalee, and parts of Lehigh Acres. The member-owned electric utility operates more than 6,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines. Tampa-based Seminole Electric Cooperative serves as LCEC's wholesale power supplier.

Techem knows when the heat is on. The company is a leading European utility services firm (with operations in 20 countries) that monitors energy and water consumption in 8 million end-user households, primarily apartments and multi-family dwellings in Germany. It also offers its 690,000 clients additional services such as heat and water meter sales and rentals, heating system maintenance, and bill collection. Techem Energy Contracting builds and operates facilities for energy supply, and the company's IT division offers property management software.

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.

Sharing power is not a threatening proposition for Southeastern Power Administration. The power distributor markets electricity generated at federal hydroelectric facilities (nearly 3,400 MW of capacity) to customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The company's 495 preference wholesale customers (who serve more than 13 million consumers) are primarily municipal and cooperative utilities in the region. Southeastern Power Administration is an agency of the US Department of Energy, and its goal is to market electric power generated by Federal reservoir projects at the lowest possible cost to consumers.

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.

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