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.

Egad, EGAT, that's a lot of juice. The state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) produces more than 15,000 MW of electricity and buys another 10,600 MW from independent power producers. EGAT not only generates or buys most of the nation's power, it holds a monopoly on transmission to the distributors (Metropolitan Electricity Authority and Provincial Electricity Authority). The utility operates hydroelectric, thermal, and alternative power plants, and provides engineering, maintenance, and other energy-related services. EGAT has also announced plans to expand into telecommunications and natural gas, and to acquire coal mining assets in Indonesia.

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.

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.

Southern Company isn't just whistling Dixie. The holding company is one of the largest electricity distributors in the US. It operates regulated utilities Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power, which combined have a generating capacity of more than 42,900 MW and serve more than 4.4 million electricity customers in the southeastern US. The good ol' power company also has energy marketing operations, and it provides energy consulting and management services for businesses and institutions. Through its Southern LINC Wireless unit, it provides wireless communications services in its US utility territory; its Southern Telecom unit offers wholesale fiber-optic services.

Organic Resource Management (formerly National Challenge Systems) has an organic approach to the disposal of waste material across Canada. Providing non-hazardous and organic waste disposal services, Organic Resource Management's services include cleaning catch basins, drains, grease-traps, and sewers; food-waste recycling; and raw material and product destruction. Organic Resource Management serves more than 8,000 commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential customers in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. In 2008 it sold the non-core assets of non-hazardous liquid waste subsidiary A&A Anderson Tank Services to McRae's Environmental Services.

EDP Renovaveis loves the feel of the wind and the sound of the waves. One of largest wind energy companies in world, EDP Renovaveis has an annual generation capacity of about 5MW. Other power sources include solar thermal and photovoltaic energy, which create electricity from steam and solar radiation conversion, respectively. The company is also developing ocean wave generation capabilities. EDP Renovaveis has wind generation facilities in nearly 10 countries; Spain and the US (through subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy) contribute the greatest part of its wind power generation capacity. The company is the renewable division of fellow Portuguese company EDP Group, the Iberian Peninsula's third largest energy firm.

The Chugoku Electric Power Co. makes western Japan shine. The company generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to more than 5.2 million customers in the Chugoku region of western Japan. Approximately 89% of its customers are residential, and commercial and industrial customers account for the rest. The company's 110 power plants generate about 11,800 MW; traditional thermal plants generate about 65% of its power. Chugoku Electric intends to increase its use of nuclear power and is also researching alternative energy sources. In response to Japan's electricity market liberalization, the group is entering new business markets, including consulting, construction, fuel supply, and telecommunications.

Canadian Utilities is the strong arm of diversified energy company ATCO and accounts for most of its sales. Canadian Utilities' regulated utilities operations are ATCO Gas, which distributes natural gas to more than 1 million customers in almost 300 communities in Alberta, and ATCO Electric, which provides electricity to about 207,000 customers. ATCO Pipelines provides natural gas transportation services to producers, major industrial users and gas distribution companies in Alberta. Canadian Utilities' Energy unit (including ATCO Power, ATCO Midstream and ATCO Energy Solutions) manages power generation and pipeline activities. The Technologies segment provide business systems solution through ARCO I-Tek.

AGL Resources Inc., an energy services holding company, distributes natural gas primarily in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia. It operates in four segments: Distribution Operations, Retail Energy Operations, Wholesale Services, and Energy Investments. The Distribution Operations segment operates six natural gas distribution utilities that construct, manage, and maintain intrastate natural gas pipelines and distribution facilities. It operates approximately 46,000 miles of underground distribution and transmission mains. The Retail Energy Operations segment markets natural gas and related services under the Georgia Natural Gas name to retail customers on an unregulated basis primarily in Georgia, Ohio, and Florida, as well as to commercial and industrial customers principally in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Wholesale Services segment involves in asset management and optimization, storage, transportation, production, and peaking services, as well as engages in wholesale marketing business.The Energy Investments segment develops, acquires, and operates salt-dome and other storage assets in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. It has approximately 7.5 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage capacity in five LNG plants located in Georgia, New Jersey, and Tennessee, as well as owns three propane storage facilities in Virginia and Georgia. AGL Resources Inc. has a joint venture agreement with TECO Energy Inc. to provide home warranty products and services under the brand name UtiliPRO; and with El Paso Corp. to distribute liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the southeastern United States to the heavy-duty transportation market. AGL Resources Inc. was founded in 1856 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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