RESTRUCTURING OF ENERGY INDUSTRY ANALYZED IN A REPORT BY MONTGOMERY RESEARCH AND IBM

The Utilities Project explores key challenges facing the beleaguered electric industry.

SAN FRANCISCO April 3, 2003 – A sweeping federal plan to restructure the nations electric market is examined in depth in the publication, Leadership in a Shifting Market: The Utilities Project, Volume 3 published by Montgomery Research with key sponsorship from IBM Business Consulting Services.

The thought leadership project explores the significant financial, technical, and operational challenges facing the industry as it restructures. It features white papers written by leading academics, analysts, regulators, consumers, business executives, and other industry stakeholders. The project includes a wide range of viewpoints to help create a balanced forum for decision makers.

For example, Patrick Wood III, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, describes his agencys plan to develop a Standard Market Design for the nations electric markets, while California Public Utilities Commissioner Loretta Lynch warns the plan would extend her states ongoing energy nightmare" to the entire nation. Other notable writers discuss the pros and cons of the FERC plan along with other restructuring models.

Additional subjects examined in this years 144-page volume include such timely topics as cost controls, industry debt levels, risk management, CO2 emissions, wind energy, and publicly owned power systems.

The report, the latest in Montgomerys series of thought leadership initiatives, is printed and distributed to thought leaders within the industry with support from more than two dozen solution providers such as American Express, Lodestar, Marsh, MDSI, MRO, OM, Precision Response, Predictive Metrics, Sagent, Transunion, and Vestas. A companion Web site (utilitiesproject.com) provides free, online access to the full report.

The Utilities Project gives the reader a practical, balanced insight into the strategic imperatives that represent the foundation of the industrys future growth," said F. Michael Valocchi, partner in the Energy and Utilities Strategy practice at IBM Business Consulting Services.

Decisions being made now will affect all areas of our economy for many, many years. The top-level thinking in The Utilities Project will help assure those decisions are the right ones," said Nick Smith, publisher of The Utilities Project.

About IBM Business Consulting Services
With more than 60,000 consultants and professional staff in more than 160 countries globally, IBM Business Consulting Services is the world's largest consulting services organization. IBM Business Consulting Services provides clients with business process and industry expertise, a deep understanding of technology solutions that address specific industry issues, and the ability to design, build and run those solutions in a way that delivers bottom-line business value.

About Montgomery Research
Montgomery Research, Inc. publishes thought leadership initiatives that focus on the convergence of business and technology. Montgomery Research works in partnership with e-business visionaries and experts to define industry trends. Find out more about Montgomery Research at MRIResearch.com.

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Editors: To request copies of Leadership in a Shifting Market: The Utilities Project, Volume 3, call (415) 397-2400 or fill out the subscription form online at http://www.utilitiesproject.com.

Press Contacts

Lia Papa
IBM Business Consulting Services
703-322-5782
Lia.Papa@us.ibm.com

Nick Smith
Publisher
Montgomery Research
415-397-2400
Nick@MRIResearch.com

Yvonne Schellerup
Director of Marketing
Montgomery Research
415-397-2400
Yvonne@MRIResearch.com