LITTLE ROCK — New group to oversee
use of Entergy grid
The Entergy Regional State Committee, a group of utility regulators from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi along with Entergy Corp., will direct the utility to make filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The filings would relate to Entergy’s transmission system. The arrangement is the first of its kind in the country.
There are other similar committees throughout the country that provide advice about utilities’ transmission systems, but none have the authority to oversee one utility’s transmission system.
Entergy’s transmission system has been the subject of complaints because of a “lack of transparency and open access to the transmission grid for the southeast [U.S.],” said Kenneth Anderson Jr., president of the committee.
Paul Suskie, chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, is secretary of the Entergy committee and has served as president.
State firm to lead
Air Force project
Arkansas Power Electronics International said Friday that it will lead a joint research and development project as part of a $2.2 million U.S. Air Force contract.
The Fayetteville technology research and development firm said a silicon carbide-based electric motor drive for use in a flightcontrol system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be developed under the contract.
LR site of workshop
on ‘clean energy’
The Arkansas Public Service Commission will sponsor a workshop Wednesday on “clean energy” generation in Little Rock.
The meeting, to be held at the Association of Arkansas Counties at 1415 W. Third St. in Little Rock, begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m.
Five speakers will make presentations at the workshop. More information is available from the commission at (501) 682-2051.
Arkansas Index up;
8 stocks advance
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 0.21 to 187.92 Friday.
Eight stocks advanced, seven declined and two were unchanged.
USA Truck rose 2.6 percent in average volume.
P.A.M. Transportation Services fell 1.0 percent in light trading.
For the week, 11 stocks gained ground and six fell.
Arkansas Best jumped 4.0 percent for the week.
First Federal Bancshares lost 6.3 percent for the week.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 33 on 10/23/2010