With all the problems American power companies have had keeping the lights on during the last two years, the SeTrans Regional Transmission Organization may have thought it was time to look outside of the country for help when it contracted Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) to manage its power grid in the southeastern United States. The five-year contract is expected to generate $150 million a year.
The company’s ESB International and EirGrid subsidiaries and domestic sub-contractor Accenture will manage the system that supplies states including Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, consists of more than 53,000 miles of transmission lines and 73,000MW of power capacity.
The agreement, which will involve the management of $9 billion worth of assets, has yet to be finalized.
