New faces and functions in a competitive market

With the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 888/889 mandating open access of the nation´s transmission network, the US electric utility industry begins its most significant transformation. Once highly regulated and organized into vertically integrated entities, the industry today is being restructured into a competitive arena made up of veterans as well as new players from other industries. All participants are facilitating change through the establishment of new business processes and information flow and in the development of the functions that will support a deregulated marketplace. They must take advantage of the advances in technology in designing and implementing the new applications and the systems that need to go with them. This article analyzes the implications of this massive change from the perspective of the various participants and shows how their roles are affected by the changes