[Federal Register: June 10, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 112)]
[Notices]
[Page 32542]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10jn04-80]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. PL04-9-000, EC02-113-000, EC02-113-001, EC03-53-000, and
EC03-131-000]
Conference on Acquisition and Disposition of Merchant Generation
Assets by Public Utilities; Cinergy Services, Inc.; Ameren Energy
Generating Company and Union Electric Company d/b/a; AmerenUE; Oklahoma
Gas and Electric Company NRG McClain LLC; Supplemental Notice of Agenda
for Technical Conference
June 4, 2004.
1. The attachment to this supplemental notice provides additional
information concerning the June 10, 2004, technical conference to
discuss issues associated with public utilities' acquisition and
disposition of merchant generation assets, including the implications
for the competitive landscape in general and for a region's wholesale
competition in particular. (See May 11, 2004, Notice of Technical
Conference.) While the Commission does not intend the conference
discussion to include the merits of any issues pending before the
Commission, we have included the docket numbers of contested pending
section 203 cases out of an abundance of caution since issues in the
conference may overlap with issues in these cases. The conference will
begin at 1 p.m. (e.s.t.) and will conclude at approximately 4 p.m. and
will be convened in the Commission Meeting Room at the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC. Members
of the Commission will attend the conference. All interested persons
are invited to attend. Microphones will be available to enable those in
the audience to participate in the discussion as issues arise.
2. The conference will be transcribed. Those interested in
acquiring the transcript should contact Ace Reporters at 202-347-3700
or 800-336-6646. Transcripts will be placed in the public record 10
days after the Commission receives the transcripts. Additionally,
Capitol Connection offers the opportunity for remote listening and
viewing of the conference. It is available for a fee, live over the
Internet, by phone or via satellite. Persons interested in receiving
the broadcast, or who need information on making arrangements, should
contact David Reininger or Julia Morelli at Capitol Connection (703-
993-3100) as soon as possible or visit the Capitol Connection Web site
at http://www.capitolconnection.org and click on ``FERC.''
3. For more information about the conference, please contact David
Hunger at 202-502-8148 or David.Hunger@ferc.gov.
Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
Conference on Public Utilities' Acquisition and Disposition of Merchant
Generation Assets, June 10, 2004, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Agenda
Panelists will each be asked to address issues among the
following in a five minute overview prepared statement, which will
be followed by questions and general discussion:
Trends in acquisitions of generation facilities owned
by independent power producers (IPPs) and affiliated power producers
(APPs); characteristics of sellers, buyers and assets and the roles
of financial players; who is selling to whom and what is the role of
banks and other financial institutions.
Changing pattern of generation acquisitions by
vertically-integrated utilities and their APPs over the past 15
years.
Competitive effects of vertically integrated utilities
acquiring IPP generation assets in short-run and long-run markets.
Competitive effects of vertically integrated utilities
acquiring APP generation assets in short-run and long-run markets;
the potential for affiliate abuse; validity of safety net concerns.
Whether or how the evaluation of the competitive harm
under current section 203 review standards (Merger Policy Statement
and Order No. 642) and policy needs to be changed to take account of
competitive effects of acquisitions of IPPs and APPs.
Whether the Commission should require an Edgar type
standard of review for section 203 affiliate acquisitions.
Should the Commission consider the effect of buyers'
market power (monopsony power) in its review of generation
acquisitions? If so, how should it analyze the effect on
competition? Does economic dispatch address horizontal market power,
vertical market power and/or monopsony power?
What are the remedies? In particular, can a competitive
solicitation prevent harm due to affiliate acquisitions?
Panel I: 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
John Hilke, Federal Trade Commission.
Steve Daniel, GDS Associates.
Pete Delaney, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company.
State Commissioner--TBA.
Peter Kind, CitiGroup.
Break: 2:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Panel II: 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
David DeRamus, Partner, Bates White.
Mark Huston, Constellation Generation.
Jone-Lin Wang, Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America.
Diana Moss, American Antitrust Institute.
Marji Philips, PSE&G.
Wrap-up: 3:45 p.m.-4 p.m.
[FR Doc. E4-1319 Filed 6-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P