Energy Economists Join EI
Natalie Shen and Jeffrey J. Opgrand have joined EI’s energy practice. Ms. Shen’s areas of expertise include cost-of-service ratemaking, energy market structures, and policy formation. Ms. Shen was previously an expert witness with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Office of Administrative Litigation. Ms. Shen also served as a Policy Advisor to a FERC Commissioner. Dr. Opgrand was formerly an economist in the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation at FERC and has worked on issues affecting wholesale electric markets, including financial transmission rights and capacity markets. Dr. Opgrand also previously worked at Monitoring Analytics, the independent market monitor for the PJM Interconnection.
FERC Approves Entergy’s Acquisition of the Hardin County Peaking Facility
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently approved Entergy Texas, Inc.’s acquisition of the Hardin County Peaking Facility from the East Texas Electric Cooperative. Entergy Texas submitted a market power study with a Delivered Price Test authored by EI Principal John R. Morris.
Su Sun Testifies in Chinese Trade Secret Case with Record Breaking Damages Award
In Zhonghua Chemical et al v. Wanglong Group et al, China’s Supreme People’s Court handed down the country’s largest-ever damages award in a trade secret case – RMB 159 million, or close to $25 million. EI Senior Vice President Su Sun submitted an economic report on behalf of the plaintiffs and testified in the first instance of this case. The Court referenced Dr. Sun’s damages estimate in determining the final award. Plaintiffs were represented by Fairsky Law Office.
Music Industries Economic Impact Report published by Robert Stoner and Jéssica Dutra
EI Principal Robert D. Stoner and EI Senior Economist Jéssica Dutra’s published their report The U.S. Music Industries: Jobs & Benefits. The report finds the music industry creates $170 billion in value annually to U.S. GDP, supports 2.47 million jobs across a wide range of professions, and accounts for $9.08 billion in export sales, among other benefits.
Keith Waehrer publishes Three Things You Might Not Have Known About Sprint/T-Mobile Merger Litigation
In this recent Antitrust Chronicle article, EI Principal Keith Waehrer and co-author Dr. Nitin Dua describe three lessor known aspects of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger litigation — the court’s exclusion of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) as participants in the relevant market, T-Mobile’s estimation of standalone marginal costs and merger efficiencies, and the remedy that required dismantling of a fully operating network and building of a brand new network to replace it.