Posted on 12/07/2014 8:02:25 AM PST by expat_panama
U.S. Energy Boom’s Other Winner: Utilities
By Rebecca Smith
Dec. 12, 2014
New or expanding manufacturing plants tied to the U.S. energy boom are increasing demand for electricity, reversing years of stagnant power use in the country, utility executives say.
Leo Denault, chief executive of New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. , said his company is witnessing “a renaissance in the industrial South” as heavy manufacturing returns to take advantage of abundant U.S. fuel supplies that are bringing down prices for natural gas and electricity.
For example, Big River Steel broke ground in September on a $1.3 billion steel mill in Osceola, Ark., that will melt scrap metal and make 1.6 million tons a year of flat-rolled steel using a massive electric furnace. The inexpensive electricity produced by Entergy’s Arkansas utility helped entice the company to locate on the Mississippi River site.
Entergy’s utilities serve Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, in addition to Arkansas. Industrial demand for electricity jumped 5.3% from a year earlier during the company’s latest quarter, compared to a decline of 0.2% in residential sales and a slight 0.9% increase in commercial and government sales.
Growing demand for power isn’t limited to the Gulf Coast. American Electric Power Co. , which owns utilities from Texas to Michigan, including several in Rust Belt areas, said eight of 10 industrial sectors it serves consumed more electricity in the third quarter than a year earlier.
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Mr. Akin said industrial spending leads to job creation and new-household formation, both of which stimulate power demand. He expects commercial and residential usage to grow too, though AEP hasn’t had a comparable uptick in electricity sales in those sectors yet. Because companies buy electricity in bulk, profit margins on industrial sales are roughly a third the size of margins on sales to residential customers.
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Yes, I should keep the big picture in mind! We have about 15 years til retirement.
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