45 Top U.S. Power Sellers Identified in New Report.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 1999--

The 45 companies that have taken control of the U.S. deregulated wholesale power market include 23 that plan to build a total of 50,000 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity, according to a new report published by The McGraw-Hill Companies. The rankings are the first to include both utilities and power marketers.

Twenty-one of the companies are also involved in selling natural gas, including 15 that are among the top-20 gas marketers, said the report, Wholesale Power '99: Strategies, Assets and Trading Patterns of 45 Leading U.S. Energy Companies. The 250-page report was published by The McGraw-Hill Companies' Power Markets Week newsletter, the leading source of news and market information on the deregulated electricity industry.

The 45 power sellers include 13 traditional utilities, excluded from previous wholesale power rankings, that together sold 645-million megawatt hours (MWh) in the open market last year, accounting for more than a quarter of the total 2.7 billion MWh sold by the top 45.

The 45 companies together accounted for more than 99% of all open market wholesale power sales last year and control more than 230,000 MW of power plant capacity for trading and marketing purposes.

The top five wholesale power sellers for 1998 were Enron Power Marketing, with 400-million MWh; AEP Energy Services, 201.9-million MWh; Southern Company Energy Marketing, 185.5-million MWh; Aquila Energy, 121.1 million MWh; and Dynegy Marketing & Trade, 121 million MWh.

The report includes in-depth profiles of the top 45 players in the rapidly changing wholesale market and compares and analyzes each company's strategy, market focus, strategic assets and trading patterns. Strategic assets detailed in the report include generation controlled for trading, generation controlled by affiliates, natural gas assets, positions and presence in the power and gas markets, retail customer bases in power and gas, and retail marketing operations.

The report also includes directory information on 259 power marketers registered at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, including annual sales and rankings for the previous two years. In addition, the report provides statistical analyses of the overall market, including annual and quarterly volumes for each trading hub, and the top 10 players at each hub in terms of volumes.

"Wholesale Power '99, however, is much more than a yearbook or director y to power marketers," said Editor Brian Jordan. "It provides first-of-a-kind market intelligence, the first in-depth look at each of the 45 top power sellers' both marketers and utilities."

The report is available for $495, prepaid, from Power Markets Week, Two Penn Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121-2298. For more information or a sample profile call 212-904-2406, or visit McGraw-Hill Energy's website at www.mhenergy.com.

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading information services provider meeting worldwide needs in education, business, finance, the professions and government. The corporation employs 16,500 people located in more than 400 offices in 32 countries. Sales in 1998 were $3.7-billion.