CONSULTANTS

Dr. Kajal B. Kapur, Senior Consultant

Dr. Kapur has over ten years of energy consulting experience in the areas of economic analysis, forecasting and environmental issues. She is specialized in restructuring issues facing electric and gas utilities such as - customer loyalty, alternate energy supply, new product and services and regulatory trends. She is also experienced in assisting utilities to prepare supportive evidence for rate case filings and presented written and oral testimony before regulatory commissions. Currently Dr. Kapur is conducting research on the future of demand side management in a competitive power industry by econometrically modeling profits, market structures and barriers to entry in the energy services market.

A sought after teacher and speaker, Dr. Kapur's original teaching experience was gained by teaching micro and macroeconomics at Cornell University and the University of California. She was invited to teach the economics of investor owned utilities and regulatory issues at the University of Michigan, School of Management.

Professional Achievements

• Assisted large Midwest electric utility in developing a promotional strategy to address customer concernsabout nuclear plant operation and other environmental issues. Educated the company on alternate sources of energy such as renewable, distributed power and energy efficiency and the costs of the alternate sources. Identified new products and services the utility could offer in a restructured electric environment.
• Helped conduct focus groups and analyzed customer surveys to understand customer perception and satisfaction with the Midwest company.
• Performed benchmark study of regulatory trends for large East Coast gas utility. Studied regulatory trends and analyzed the impact of these trends on the company's base rate filing.
• Educated utility about gas purchasing and gas cost recovery trends in an increasingly competitive industry and addressed the implications of these trends for company's rate filing.
• Worked with State Utility Forecasting Group to review forecasts of statewide and individual utility electric energy demand.
• Reviewed utility demand side management plans and demand side implementation and evaluation activities.
• Examined utility Electric and Gas Least Cost Plans including demand forecasts and optimization, scenario and sensitivity analysis conducted by utility.
• Studied the economics of utility power purchase arrangements with other utilities.
• Analyzed the merger of two Midwest utilities. Modeled the individual and joint resource plans of the two utilities to determine the benefits of the merger.
• Conducted economic analyses related to utility clean coal technology project.
• Analyzed Clean Air Compliance plans of major Midwest utilities and made recommendations based on the analysis. The regulatory commission adopted many of the recommendations.

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