US Rail Jams Force Rush to Roads and Rivers
U.S. coal-burning power utilities are being forced to turn to barges and more expensive trucks to move coal, desperate to shore up stockpiles left dangerously low by the widespread bottlenecks on rail networks. The shift in how coal is being delivered to some power plants from mining regions such as Illinois Basin and comes amid persistent railroad delays that began during last year's severe North American winter. The delays have been perpetuated also by a surge in rail deliveries of crude oil and grain…
Severe U.S. winter leaves questions for gas, power markets
Natural gas pipelines and power utilities across the United States struggled for several weeks to keep lights on and homes warm through the coldest winter in decades, but it may take many months for the cost and the fallout of the so-called "polar vortex" to work through the energy chain. As sub-freezing temperatures spread in January and February, spot natural gas prices spiked at many gas delivery points in the Midwest, Northeast and New York, pushing wholesale power prices above $100 per megawatt-hour for days at a time. Customers will soon receive gas and electric bills, reflecting the higher cost of gas in January. In unregulated power markets, January bills will present a "double whammy," said Nick Akins, chief executive of American Electric Power Co, one of the largest U.S.
American Commercial Lines Announces New Leadership
American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL), one of the largest and most diversified inland marine transportation and service companies in the United States, announced today the appointments of Mark Knoy as President and Chief Executive Officer and David Huls as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Industry veteran Mark Knoy, 52, is joining ACL following a seventeen year career at AEP River Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Co., Inc., where he spent the last ten years serving as President. Under Mr. Knoy's leadership AEP River Operations grew to become one of the nation's largest and most successful barge lines. "Mark brings to ACL many years of profitable growth on the inland waterways," said Bryan Kelln, President of Portfolio Operations at Platinum Equity.
Memco Barge Line Sold
American Electric Power Co. Inc. signed a definitive agreement with Progress Energy Inc. to buy its MEMCO Barge Line Inc. for $270 million, in a deal AEP said would immediately add to its earnings. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP said its AEP Resources Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary will buy 1,200 hopper barges and 30 towboats from Electric Fuels Corp., a Progress subsidiary, making AEP one of the leading barge operators. "The coupling of the MEMCO barge assets with our existing fleet will add earnings and significant information flow in the sometimes-neglected transportation component of our business," said Paul Addis, executive vice president of AEP's Wholesale activities.
Memco Barge Line Sold for $270M
American Electric Power Co. Inc. signed a definitive agreement with Progress Energy Inc. to buy its MEMCO Barge Line Inc. for $270 million, in a deal AEP said would immediately add to its earnings. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP said its AEP Resources Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary will buy 1,200 hopper barges and 30 towboats from Electric Fuels Corp., a Progress subsidiary, making AEP one of the leading barge operators. "The coupling of the MEMCO barge assets with our existing fleet will add earnings and significant information flow in the sometimes-neglected transportation component of our business," said Paul Addis, executive vice president of AEP's Wholesale activities.
