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Energos, a Norwegian distributive generation concern, tapped the private equity market earlier this month for EUR40 million ($36 million) to finance the expansion of its business across Europe.

Mexico's Comision Federal De Electricidad will next month award contracts to develop two independent power plants with a combined capacity of 920 MW.Eugenio Laris Alanis, director for new projects at the CFE, says the next project to be auctioned is La Laguna II, a 450 MW combined-cycle gas-fired plant, on May 15. Alanis says two international plant developers have been short-listed to build, own and operate the project. Next on the block is the 479 MW Tuxpan V CCGT project on May 22. Four developers are in the running to develop the latter plant. Alanis declined to name the bidders, but a banker says one of the short-listed companies isTransAlta, Canada's largest un-regulated generation concern, which has announced it is looking to expand its IPP portfolio elsewhere in America.Daniel Pigeon, head of investor relations, did not return calls.

Joplin, Mo.-based Empire District Electric has hired Lehman Brothers as the sole bookrunner for a $50 million secondary stock offering this June. Amy Bass, a spokeswoman at the company, says a few other banks will be invited at the co-arranger level and pricing should occur on May 17. Bankers at Lehman Brothers declined all comment on the matter.

Allegheny Energy Supply, the unregulated generation subsidiary of Allegheny Energy, will likely split the $540 million cost of building a 1,080 MW combined-cycle gas turbine plant in La Paz County equally between debt and equity capital. Michael Grandillo, a company spokesman, notes that the Hagerstown, Md.-based energy concern is still in the process of determining the exact form of financing for the newly launched project and could not provide further details.

Dallas-based Panda Energy International is looking to increase the proportion of long-term power contracts in its portfolio, but only when forward prices have recovered. Dave Freeman, senior v.p., told delegates at The Power Marketing Association's annual spring conference in Las Vegas last week that the IPP is looking to increase the maturity of contracts, but that it doesn't make sense to lock-in at current low levels. "When the market gets back some equilibrium we will lock in aggressively," he said.

Lead arrangers Bank of New York and Union Bank of California have launched a $220 million revolver for Avista. FleetBoston and Wells Fargo have signed up for $30 million tickets apiece. Following a New York bank meeting April 10 (PFR, 4/8), Bank Hapoalim also has signed a $10 million commitment, according a UBoC official. Fees on the 364-day revolver are 25 basis points for $20 million and 12.5 for $10 million, and the aim is to wrap the deal May 15, he adds.

As part of broader plans to retrench from the U.S. equity markets, ABN AMRO late last month handed a pink slip to Paul Patterson, its New York-based utility analyst. An ABN spokesman says Patterson's departure is one of 550 job cuts at the bank. He adds that the entire equity business was relatively small, lost money and was weak competitively.

Lazard has hired Peter Marquis, formerly v.p. in the global power and utilities group atMorgan Stanley in New York, in a new position as v.p. covering power sector mergers & acquisitions. Marquis says he joined Lazard because the position provides him the opportunity to focus purely on strategic advisory services, whereas at Morgan Stanley he covered a broader menu of financial products.

The Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) has shortlisted nine companies or consortia to bid for Um Al Nar, a power and water desalination project near Abu Dhabi City. The shortlisted bidders are German utilities STEAG and RWE, AES, Marubeni, EDF International, TotalFinaElf, Korea Electric Power Co. and two consortia comprising Tractebel and Enel Power and International Power, Mitsui and Tokyo Electric Co., say bankers.

Scott Putnam, the chief weather quant at Hess Energy Trading Co., is exiting the weather industry and joining a San Francisco-based bio-tech outfit, according to an industry official. Rumors of his impending departure have been circulating in the tight-knit weather market over the last couple of weeks (PFR, 4/8). Repeated calls to Putnam were not returned and HETCO officials declined comment. Putnam was part of the original gang of four from Koch Entergy Trading who kick-started the HETCO weather desk (PFR, 5/9/00). Amit Bhattacharyya, who recently joined the team from Louis Dreyfus, will take on some of Putnam's responsibilities.