CP&S Ch.1

Question 1

Which type of utilities have stockholders?

Answer 1

Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU)

Question 2

Approximately how many IOUs exist today?

Answer 2

100

Question 3

This type of utility has stocks on public exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange.

Answer 3

Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU)

Question 4

The name for city owned utilities.

Answer 4

Municipalities

Question 5

Approximately how many Municipal utilities exist?

Answer 5

2000

Question 6

What is a unique trait of municipal utilities?

Answer 6

They generally follow city limit boundaries.

Question 7

Who passed the Rural Electrification Act?

Answer 7

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Question 8

Who governs rural electric co-ops?

Answer 8

A board of elected officials who live in the service territories of the co-op.

Question 9

T or F: Rural electric co-ops are for-profit organizations.

Answer 9

False, they are not-for-profit

Question 10

Approximately how many RECs exist in the United States?

Answer 10

1000

Question 11

T or F: RECs territory size can vary widely from one to the next.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

Public Utility Districts (PUD) and Public Power Districts (PPD) are similar to what other power company?

Answer 12

Rural Electric Co-ops

Question 13

T or F PUDs and PPDs are recognized by the federal government.

Answer 13

False, they are recognized by the state. RECs are recognized by the federal government.

Question 14

In which states are PPDs and PUDs most common?

Answer 14

California, Washington, Oregon and Nebraska

Question 15

What type of company delivers bulk power?

Answer 15

Generation and Transmission Companies (G&Ts)

Question 16

Name the four power marketing administrations?

Answer 16

Bonneville Power Admin, Southeastern Power Admin, Southwestern Power Admin, and Western Area Power Admin

Question 17

T or F: PUDs, PPDs, and Co-ops sometimes form G&Ts to provide bulk power to themselves.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

T or F: Irrigation districts provide power as well as water.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

What type of company is used when other power companies don’t have the time, resources, and/or man power to complete a project?

Answer 19

Line Contractors

Question 20

What happened in the 1990s regarding line contractors?

Answer 20

Holding companies began purchasing the largest and most skilled line contractors, to that they could bid on the most profitable work.

Question 21

Name the two largest holding companies?

Answer 21

The MYR Group and Quanta Services

Question 22

Approximately how many miles of transmission lines are in the US?

Answer 22

160,000

Question 23

Approximately how much money will be invested into the US transmission system by the year 2025?

Answer 23

$2 Trillion

Question 24

Which company types of utilities typically serves more than 500,000 customers and has more than 2000 employees?

Answer 24

IOU, Large Municipal, or Federal Utility Structure

Question 25

What are some characteristics of IOUs, Large Municipal, and Federal Utility Structure Utility Companies?

Answer 25

Serve large loads, have a large number of circuits and substations, own major transmission facilities, distribution circuits are heavily loaded, and has a power supply department which buys, sells and trades power.

Question 26

Which type of utility company typically serves less than 100,000 customers and has less than 200 employees?

Answer 26

Small Public Power Utilities

Question 27

What are some characteristics of Small Public Power Utility Structures?

Answer 27

Serve small loads, limited transmission systems, limited or no generation, and circuits will be quite long and have few customers per mile of line.

Question 28

What are some characteristics of large line contractors?

Answer 28

Work on large utility projects on any level of the grid, employ more than 200 people, access to specialized equipment, may perform communications work, and a work area that could span the nation and beyond.

Question 29

What are some characteristics of small line contractors?

Answer 29

Employ less than 200 people, limited bidding power on projects, perform small scale projects on any level of the grid, regionalized work area, and may perform communication work.

Question 30

What are some entry level positions in the utility field?

Answer 30

Utility worker/Groundmen, Equipment Operator, Meter Reader, Meter Tester, Tree Crew Helper, and Warehouse Assistant

Question 31

Name some positions in the utility field that requires some form of trade school.

Answer 31

Apprentice Lineman and Lineman

Question 32

Name some supervisory positions.

Answer 32

Line Foreman/Crew Leader, Line Superintendent, Department Manager, Department Vice President, and General Manager

Question 33

Besides entry-level, lineman, and supervisory positions name some other positions in the utility field.

Answer 33

Staking tech, system operator, inspector, substation tech, wind generation specialist, communications lineworker, manufacturer rep, and power plant tech