LDC gas buyers adjusting to vastly changed market

In a just-released study, RKS Research and Consulting reported that while power and gas marketing firms may become key players in the deregulated energy business, few of their customers and seeing a national leader emerge. The report said while 75% of large customers interviewed already use energy marketers, only 25% evidence a clear understanding of these firms' skills and product /offerings. The study found that the energy users considered reliable energy supply, service dependability and quality/reliability of fuel sources their top three criteria and apply that to utilities and energy marketing firms. The marketers may offer some unique services, such as a commanding market presence, fuel diversity, skill in using financial derivatives and record of successful risk management, but those offerings are generally at the bottom of the list that energy users use when considering power and gas marketers, the study said. What does this all mean to the gas utilities, both in terms of buying supplies as well as providing gas against their newly emerging competitors? The author asked gas buyers from five LDCs to discuss the challenges they face in doing their jobs today. Their comments are relevant because it is not only an example of a new way of doing business, but is also indicative of the choices and problems one will endure in buying energy in an increasingly deregulated environment. And remember this: the utilities are still the predominant buyers of gas