NYSE&G Says New York Short on Energy Supply

LCG, April 6, 2001—Utility New York State Electric & Gas Corp. says its state does not have enough in the way of power plants, transmission facilities and natural gas pipelines to support a competitive wholesale electricity market.

"Today, rising total electric prices in parts of New York threaten our economy," NYSE&G's president Ralph Tedesco said. "While NYSE&G strongly supports competition, our experience in New York, coupled with the California experience, underscores the need for us to reevaluate the time frame and infrastructure requirements necessary to achieve our goals."

NYSE&G, in a report with the title "New York State's Electric Energy Crisis and NYSE&G's Comprehensive Solution," says that since the New York Independent System Operator took over the wholesale power market in November 1999, wholesale electricity prices have risen more than 100 percent because there is insufficient in-state supply to create a liquid market.

Ken Klapp, a spokesman for the ISO, said most of what the utility is talking about is being addressed by the ISO and the New York State Public Service Commission.

NYSE&G's "Comprehensive Solution" consists of price caps on wholesale power through 2008.

http://www.energyonline.com/news/articles/d06-3ny.asp

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), April 07, 2001