Utilities archive - The Capitol Forum

Itron Has Plans to Charge 30%-50% Commission on App Store for its Utility Smart Meters, But Public Utility Commissions Could Intervene

Itron (ITRI) contracts with utilities to be the exclusive provider for their customers’ electronic electricity meters, known as smart meters. Itron’s marketing also brags that its technology platform “utilizes an app store model, similar to a smart phone.” Critics worry that Itron will charge, like Apple for its app store, a 30% (or higher) commission […]

Oct 01, 2024 Read Now >

Enbridge/Dominion: Horizontal Overlap in Natural Gas Storage Market Could Draw Federal Antitrust Scrutiny

Enbridge Inc’s (ENB) acquisition of electric utilities from Dominion Energy Inc (D) will give it control over Dominion’s northern Ohio natural gas storage assets, reducing the number of working gas storage owners in the Central Great Lakes region and potentially allowing Enbridge to...

Oct 05, 2023 Read Now >
Enbridge/Dominion: Vertical Power Concerns Related to Dominion’s Control Over Contract Terms Could Attract FTC Scrutiny

In its acquisition of utility company Dominion (D), Enbridge (ENB), a major pipeline operator, could use Dominion’s control over contracts between buyers and sellers of natural gas in Ohio to favor its own interstate pipelines, according to a Capitol Forum analysis. Enbridge currently...

Sep 22, 2023 Read Now >
Antitrust Scrutiny of Vistra’s $3.4B Plan to Purchase Energy Harbor Grows Amid Second Request and Questioning by FERC

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said yesterday that it wants more information on the Vistra (VST) acquisition of Energy Harbor (ENGH) after antitrust concerns were raised by state and regional authorities. “Please be advised that the Application is deficient, and the...

Aug 18, 2023 Read Now >
FirstEnergy Expected to be Removed from MSCI ESG Indexes at Next Rebalancing

On August 31, the Deka Group expects its ESG ETFs to drop FirstEnergy (FE) following an index rebalancing by MSCI (MSCI), according to a statement made to The Capitol Forum by a Deka spokesperson. The Capitol Forum first reported in June that FirstEnergy would be dropped from numerous...

Jul 18, 2023 Read Now >
At least 18 Indexes Likely to Drop FirstEnergy at Next Redetermination as ESG Concerns Snowball

Index providers S&P Global (SPGI), MSCI (MSCI) and the London Stock Exchange Group’s (LSE) FTSE Russell are likely poised to remove FirstEnergy (FE) from at least 18 of their ESG indices after their next quarterly redetermination, according to a Capitol Forum investigation. Over a...

Jun 21, 2023 Read Now >
Pictet Clean Energy Transition Fund Divests FirstEnergy as Utility Faces Challenging Legal Environment, Climate Concerns

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns factored into Swiss investment firm Pictet’s internal decision to close a position in FirstEnergy (FE) held by its sustainability-focused fund, according to information obtained by The Capitol Forum. The Pictet Clean Energy Transition...

May 17, 2023 Read Now >
The European Antitrust Agenda: EC Raids Fashion Companies; CMA Publishes Full Norton/Avast Decision; Google Reports Privacy Sandbox Progress; LSE Faces Quantile Merger Jeopardy

EC conducts fashion sector antitrust raids. The European Commission on Tuesday disclosed it has begun conducting unannounced inspections of fashion-industry companies in several EU member countries. The raids are a preliminary investigative step into suspected anticompetitive practices...

May 23, 2022 Read Now >
UGI: Propane Customers Nationwide Face Lengthy Delays as Scripted Customer Service Agents Appear to Mislead Customers; Company Conduct Could Invite Further Legal Scrutiny

Hundreds of UGI Corp.’s (UGI) AmeriGas retail propane customers in at least 39 states have experienced service delays for weeks to months during some of the coldest periods of the winter season, according to a Capitol Forum investigation. Most complaints follow a pattern: vulnerable...

Mar 24, 2022 Read Now >
Suburban Propane and UGI Corp: Customers Complain of Price Gouging, Posing Regulatory Risk Amid State and Federal Calls to Examine Consumer Energy Costs

Residential customers of Suburban Propane (SPH) and UGI Corp. (UGI) subsidiary AmeriGas in 15 states described sharply rising propane prices as fall turned to winter, leading to significant duress in some customers’ everyday lives, according to a review of online complaints and...

Jan 11, 2022 Read Now >
The European Antitrust Agenda: Google’s Clout Targeted in Germany; Developments in Microsoft/Nuance, Veolia/Suez Mergers; Meta Appeals Giphy Prohibition

Germany targets Google’s market power. Google faces deeper antitrust scrutiny in Germany following a Bundeskartellamt decision last week that the search engine and its parent, Alphabet (GOOG), meet a threshold for new abuse controls meant to speed up investigations. Remedies imposed on...

Jan 10, 2022 Read Now >
Bloom Energy: CPUC Proposed Decision Denies Company Bid for Microgrid Incentives During Grid Outages, Opting for Utilities’ Plans

On Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) preliminarily denied a Bloom Energy (BE) proposal to create a microgrid capacity services tariff to provide electricity to the grid during outages. Under its proposal previously reported on by The Capitol Forum, Bloom requested...

Nov 01, 2021 Read Now >

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Utilities | RECENT ARTICLES | EDITOR'S PICKS

Itron Has Plans to Charge 30%-50% Commission on App Store for its Utility Smart Meters, But Public Utility Commissions Could Intervene

Enbridge/Dominion: Horizontal Overlap in Natural Gas Storage Market Could Draw Federal Antitrust Scrutiny

Enbridge/Dominion: Vertical Power Concerns Related to Dominion’s Control Over Contract Terms Could Attract FTC Scrutiny

Antitrust Scrutiny of Vistra’s $3.4B Plan to Purchase Energy Harbor Grows Amid Second Request and Questioning by FERC

FirstEnergy Expected to be Removed from MSCI ESG Indexes at Next Rebalancing

At least 18 Indexes Likely to Drop FirstEnergy at Next Redetermination as ESG Concerns Snowball

Pictet Clean Energy Transition Fund Divests FirstEnergy as Utility Faces Challenging Legal Environment, Climate Concerns

The European Antitrust Agenda: EC Raids Fashion Companies; CMA Publishes Full Norton/Avast Decision; Google Reports Privacy Sandbox Progress; LSE Faces Quantile Merger Jeopardy

UGI: Propane Customers Nationwide Face Lengthy Delays as Scripted Customer Service Agents Appear to Mislead Customers; Company Conduct Could Invite Further Legal Scrutiny

Suburban Propane and UGI Corp: Customers Complain of Price Gouging, Posing Regulatory Risk Amid State and Federal Calls to Examine Consumer Energy Costs

The European Antitrust Agenda: Google’s Clout Targeted in Germany; Developments in Microsoft/Nuance, Veolia/Suez Mergers; Meta Appeals Giphy Prohibition

Bloom Energy: CPUC Proposed Decision Denies Company Bid for Microgrid Incentives During Grid Outages, Opting for Utilities’ Plans

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