Edison Asks PUC to Fill Enron Gap

Enron’s service to California electricity customers is deteriorating, Southern California Edison told the California Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday, and the utility urged regulators to decide who will serve those customers if Enron cannot.

The PUC solicited comments from Edison and other utilities as it investigates how Enron’s bankruptcy will affect its California customers for electricity and natural gas.

Enron officials could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The commission is worried that a difficult burden would be placed on the state’s utilities if Enron could no longer serve its customers, primarily large businesses and institutions including the University of California and California State University systems. Some estimates place Enron’s electricity business at as much as 7% of the state’s total power load.

“There is evidence that the level of customer service from Enron to its customers has diminished,” Edison said in comments filed with the state commission late Tuesday afternoon.

Edison and other utilities are in contact with Enron customers because they deliver the electricity and natural gas that Enron sells. The utilities--including Pacific Gas & Electric Co., San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co.--said Enron continues to serve its customers, but not without problems.

“End-use customers and SCE are either not receiving return calls and/or receiving return calls from Enron days later, which results in operational impacts. Several of Enron’s operation managers are no longer employed by Enron,” the Rosemead utility said, adding that it would take six to nine months and significant expense to replace Enron’s meters should the Houston-based company drop out of the market.

PG&E; said it had reclaimed gas customers from one Enron subsidiary because the subsidiary was unable to post adequate security to ensure that payment to the utility would be made.

The PUC has scheduled a prehearing conference for Thursday on the investigation and expects to begin hearings Jan. 7.