1.   Although the comparison may be technically correct, Consumers Union notes that TXU, Reliant and other major utilities have dropped their rates from last year.

2.   And in the Midwest, all three major Illinois utilities have come out for retail competition.

3.   And while utility stocks are down, Con Ed is well regarded among major utilities.

4.   Another harbinger of deregulation is a mad scramble among major Midwest utilities to merge and expand their market coverage.

5.   Bechtel Enterprises Inc. is joining a major Northwest utility to develop small, renewable energy plants around the world, the San Francisco engineering giant said yesterday.

6.   A group of major utilities announced a number of costly transactions Monday aimed at helping make them more competitive in a deregulated market.

7.   All major utilities are members, they said.

8.   Executives at several major utilities in the region said they were relieved that the states had decided on a flexible approach.

9.   For instance, the commission no longer allows TXU or other major utilities to recoup any of their past losses associated with fuel costs.

10.   He has railed at European power companies, demanding major divestitures before approving the merger of two major German utilities into what is now E.on.