Washington (Platts)--4Jun2007

The average price of power for large customers of investor-owned
utilities increased 4.7% over the past year, reaching 9.28 cents/kWh
javascript:handoff()from 8.86 cents/kWh in 2006, NUS Consulting Group said
Monday.

     In its annual survey of 24 of the largest investor-owned utilities in the
US, NUS said the 4.7% increase in 2007 followed a 10.9% increase in average
prices among large customers in 2006. NUS offered no reasons for the increase,
but in a similar survey last year attributed the 10.9% jump in prices to
higher natural gas costs and retail restructuring.

     The Park Ridge, New Jersey-based consultant said customers in California,
Maryland and New York, along with those in other states that have retail
competition, pay some of the highest rates in the country. "The survey once
again reveals that higher energy prices seem to be here to stay," Richard
Soultanian, co-president of NUS, said in a statement. "Retail deregulation is
currently either stalled or ineffective in much of the country," he said.

     The five highest average rates among the 24 utilities surveyed are
Consolidated Edison of New York at 18.29 cents/kWh, National Grid in New York
at 14.06 cents/kWh, Baltimore Gas & Electric at 12.98 cents/kWh, Southern
California Edison  at 12.65 cents/kWh and Pacific Gas & Electric at 11.45
cents/kWh.

     The five lowest average rates among those utilities surveyed are Dominion
in Virginia at 5.2 cents/kWh, Duke Power in North Carolina at 5.28 cents/kWh,
Ohio Power at 5.34 cents/kWh, Ameren UE in Missouri at 5.46 cents/kWh and
Alabama Power at 6.30 cents/kWh.

     The largest price increases over the past year have occurred at
Commonwealth Edison in Illinois, 36.1%, ConEd in New York, 25.6%, Xcel Energy
in Minnesota 22.1%, Entergy in Louisiana, 17.5%, and National Grid in New
York, 16.4%, NUS said.