The Native American inhabitants of Georgia may have used flint to spark the fires that brought light to their dwellings. Central Georgians today rely on the Flint Electric Membership Corporation, which does business as Flint Energies, to light their homes. Flint Energies serves 250,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers (through 82,500 meters) in 17 counties, Fort Benning, and the city of Warner Robins. The customer-owned cooperative operates more than 6,250 miles of distribution line and about 50 substations. Flint Energies first flicked the switch in 1937.

Buckeye Power was established by Ohio's rural electric co-ops to produce and transmit electric power for member systems throughout the state. Buckeye Power, which owns two of the three generating units in the at Cardinal Generating Station, contracts with other Ohio electric companies to use their transmission systems to transmit power to its member electric distribution cooperatives.It has cost a few bucks to generate power, but the effort has been well worth it for Buckeye Power, an electricity generation and transmission cooperative that provides electricity to 24 distribution companies in Ohio and one in Michigan. Together they serve more than 390,000 homes and businesses in 77 of Ohio's 88 counties

Veolia Environnement holds water -- as well as waste management, energy, and transportation -- operations. The company's Veolia Eau unit, which provides water and wastewater services to more than 80 million people in more than 60 countries, is the world's largest water company, ahead of SUEZ Environnement. Veolia Environmental Services, one of the world's leading waste management companies, serves more than 70 million people a year. Majority-owned energy unit Dalkia (Veolia Energy Services) operates global cogeneration facilities and heating and cooling systems, and Veolia Transport (formerly Connex) is a top European provider of bus, light-rail, and rail transport and operates in about 30 countries.

Companhia de Transmissao de Energia Eletrica Paulista is a true power broker. The company, known as both CTEEP and Transmissao Paulista, delivers power to the state of Sao Paulo. Its 12,140 kilometers of power lines and 100 substations transmit 30% of the electricity consumed in Brazil. Transmissao Paulista also participates in research and development projects with other utilities as well as universities and research centers. The company, which is part of Latin American power player Grupo Empresarial ISA, was formed in 1999 after the restructuring of Brazilian electric utilities that split power generation, transmission, and distribution into separate companies.

American Electric Power Company, Inc. engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power. It generates electricity using coal and lignite, natural gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric energy. The company distributes electric power at wholesale to other electric utility companies, rural electric co-operatives, municipalities, and other market participants, as well as to retail customers in its service areas. It also operates nonregulated wind farms and barging operations, as well as provides various energy-related services. The company operates in the states of Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. As of December 31, 2008, it owned or leased approximately 37,000 megawatts of power generation capacity. The company was founded in 1906 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (Warren RECC) provides its member customers with electricity, security systems, and surge suppression equipment, as well as with floodlighting and street lighting. It offers propane through non-affiliated Propane Energy Partners. The co-op serves more than 55,300 customers in an eight-county service area (Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Logan, Ohio, Simpson, and Warren counties) in rural south-central Kentucky. Warren RECC is affiliated with the Tennessee Valley Authority and a member of Touchstone Energy, a 600-member alliance of electricity co-ops.

A company so nice they named it twice is doubling its efforts to deliver power. NRG Energy, a leading power producer with a generating capacity of about 24,500 MW (including 345 MW from renewable energy), is moving onward and upward. The vast majority of NRG's power plants are in North America, but it also has one in Australia and one in Germany. The company's global portfolio includes about 190 generation units at 47 power plants. It also markets natural gas, oil, and other commodities, and invests in district heating and cooling and alternative energy projects. Its retail unit, Reliant Energy, distributes power to more than 1.6 million residential, business, commercial, and industrial customers in Texas.

Marietta Board of Lights and Water (doing business as Marietta Power and Water) to provide electricity and water to residents and businesses in the city of Marietta, and the counties of Marietta and Cobb. The municipal utility operates through two divisions: Marietta Power distributes electricity to more than 45,000 customers and purchases power from the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), and Marietta Water provides water supply and wastewater collection services to more than 17,000 customers.

Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) electrifies the Cornhusker State. The government-owned electric utility provides power in 91 of the state's 93 counties. The firm has a generating capacity of more than 3,000 MW and operates more than 5,000 miles of transmission lines. NPPD distributes electricity to more than 88,000 retail customers in 80 cities and towns; it also provides power to about 1 million customers through wholesale power contracts with 52 towns and 25 public power districts. In addition, NPPD purchases electricity from the federally owned Western Area Power Administration and operates a surface water irrigation system.

Midwesterners can feel the power, thanks to Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (Midwest ISO), which monitors and coordinates the operation of an electric transmission system with 56,300 miles of transmission lines across 13 Midwestern states and one Canadian province. It manages energy markets with almost $23 billion in annual energy transactions. The Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) ensures fair access to the grid and facilitates communication between its members, which include investor-owned, cooperative, and municipal utilities, as well as power marketers and independent transmission companies. Midwest ISO also provides wholesale electric service across much of the region.

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