Energy In-depth: CenterPoint subsidiary closes deal to acquire retail energy services firm

Editor’s note: Each Friday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Energy In-depth,” a round-up of energy and regulatory news.

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CENTERPOINT SUBSIDIARY CLOSES DEAL TO ACQUIRE HOUSTON RETAIL ENERGY SERVICES FIRM
CenterPoint Energy Services Inc. (CES), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy Inc., has closed on a previously announced deal to acquire the retail energy services business of privately-held Continuum Retail Energy Services LLC. The acquisition includes Continuum’s energy services business and natural gas wholesale assets. Both companies are based in Houston.

With the addition of these businesses, CES now operates in 26 states serving nearly 24,000 commercial and industrial customers, and more than 65,000 individual Choice customers. CES will be ranked as one of the nation’s top 15 natural gas marketers based on volume. CenterPoint Energy now serves more than 5 million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

The company also owns a 55.4% limited partner stake in Enable Midstream Partners, a publicly traded master limited partnership it jointly controls with OGE Energy Corp. that owns and operates natural gas and crude oil pipeline and other midstream assets.

ENTERGY ARKANSAS HIRES NEW DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
Entergy Arkansas Inc. recently hired 18-year company veteran Melanie Taylor as the utility’s new director of customer service for the its central region in Little Rock. In this role, Taylor will oversee engineering, customer service and distribution operations.

A Pocahontas native, Taylor will begin her new responsibilities on May 1 and will report to Oscar Washington, who previously held the position before being named vice president of customer service for the state’s largest electric utility in March. From 2000 to 2013, Taylor served Entergy Arkansas as the northeast regional manager, the customer service center manager and, for five years, managed a multimillion-dollar budget as the utility’s distribution operations manager.

U.S. AND ISRAELI ENERGY MINISTERS SIGN NEW ENERGY AGREEMENT
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure amended an existing agreement between the U.S. and Israel that will further enhance cooperation between the two allies that foster research and development, drive down the costs of clean energy technologies and encourage collaboration between the nations’ top energy scientists.

The agreement expands cooperative efforts between the parties for exploration, production, and distribution technologies for fossil and alternative fuels, and research and development for natural gas, transmission, distribution and smart grid technologies.