Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, Washington, probably used up its initial budget before it could hire a team of branding and identity consultants. But a dour name does not stop the power provider (commonly referred to as Grant County PUD) from operating two hydroelectric power plants on the Columbia River (2,000 MW of generating capacity) and distributing electricity to the 40,000 residents of Washington's Grant County. The district, which was formed in 1938 and went into operation in 1942, also sells power to twelve Pacific Northwest utilities and is developing a residential fiber-optic data network.

Nature Group (formerly Nature Technology Solutions) provides wastewater treatment services to the oil, shipping, and offshore industries. Its technologies treat various types of industrial, marine, and oil industry waste streams, including using an environmental-friendly additive that helps remove hydrocarbons in oily wastewater. It helps operate port treatment plants in Gibraltar and Tananger, Norway, and a sewage treatment plant in Gibraltar; it is also involved in decommissioning refineries, installing treatment plants, and treating wastewater on offshore rigs.

Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is a leading electricity utility in Ireland, providing electricity generation, distribution, and supply. The state-owned company has several divisions that operate independently in the electricity market. Its ESB Power Generation unit operates 13 power stations in Ireland. Its generation plants have an installed capacity of more than 4,650 MW and serve a customer base of about 2 million. The group's ESB Networks owns the high-voltage transmission network and other distribution systems. ESB International develops power projects, including renewable energy plants worldwide; the company has installed 77 MW of wind farms in Ireland, and in 2010 acquired a 35 MW wind farm in Wales.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) keeps the power running smoothly. The consumer-owned cooperative provides electricity to homes, businesses, and industries in parts of 16 counties from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the mouth of the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia. REC supplies power to 102,000 members over more than 12,000 miles of power line. Once rural in nature, the cooperative's territory has seen large pockets of suburban growth. REC offers surge protection, internet services, and home security plans to entice customers as competition from other suppliers arrives.

NSTAR is looking to outshine its rivals through the efficiency of its regulated electric and natural gas sales, distribution, and transmission operations. The utility holding company transmits and distributes electricity to almost 1.2 million homes and businesses through NSTAR Electric and serves some 300,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts through NSTAR Gas. The company also markets wholesale electricity, and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing and storage facilities. Its NSTAR Communications unit owns about 240 miles of fiber optic network. In 2010 the company agreed to be acquired by Northeast Utilities for about $4.2 billion.

Seeking fame and fortune in and outside Finland, energy powerhouse Fortum generates electric power across the region. In the Baltic Rim its power plants create electricity (more than 10,980 MW of generation capacity), and heat. Fortum distributes electricity to 1.6 million customers (primarily in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). The company also has significant operations in a growth area, Russia, including 2,785 MW of power generation capacity. (Russia accounted for about 9% of Fortum's total revenues in 2009). Fortum has divested its oil and engineering assets in order to focus on its core power and heating businesses.

ReliOn relies on its ability to produce hydrogen fuel cells in order to make money. The company claims to be the world's leading developer and marketer of modular, cartridge-based, proton exchange membrane fuel cell technology. ReliOn markets a range of stationary fuel cells for emergency and back up power systems, uninterruptible power supplies, digital power needs and a range of off grid power requirements. The company has sold and installed more than 2 MW of products with private and public entities in the energy, telecommunications, and transportation segments. Investors include Avista, Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, and Wall Street Technology Partners.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, one of the largest electric cooperatives in Georgia and the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 204,400 meters and nearly 193,000 individual accounts.We have a strong market presence due to the reliable electric supply, personal customer service, high customer satisfaction and reasonable rates that we offer. Our ownership through Oglethorpe Power Corporation, in addition to strategic power contracts, gives us the ability to offer competitive rates.

Decatur Utilities (the operating name of the Municipal Utilities Board of Decatur) caters to the power, gas, water, and wastewater needs of more than 30,000 residents (including 14,600 gas customers) of the city of Decatur, and Morgan County, in Alabama. In an area that experiences heavy rain, Decatur Utilities spends approximately $1 million each year to repair clay sewer pipe and brick manholes and other aging infrastructure. The Municipal Utilities Board of Decatur was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1939 to provide safe and reliable utility services to the city of Decatur.

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.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.