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Goldman Sachs has hired Paul Murray, head of weather derivatives at Enron in London, according to two industry officials. Murray could not be reached and calls to Goldman's press office were not returned. The bulge bracket firm is thought to be making a push into the European commodities market and recently transferred Richard Bronks, co-head of commodities in New York, to London (PFR, 1/28).

U.S. commodity exchanges are using Enron's demise as an opportunity to tout their own regulatory safeguards and regain deal flow lost to unregulated energy trading platforms and other firms trading futures over the counter. Chairmen at various exchanges have sent letters to exchange members and invested in media campaigns to underscore their conviction that conventional commodities exchanges are a more reliable and liquid alternative to the over-the-counter (OTC) energy trading markets that proliferated in the past few years. Some have even touted the benefits of more regulation to attentive members of Congress.

Deutsche Bank has recently cut a director from its New York project finance team.Alec Montgomery, a director, was let go and will not be replaced, according to a spokesman, who declined to provide a reason. One banker notes Montgomery was a point man for American National Power's $1.4 billion non-recourse loan on which Deutsche Bank had a lead slot (PFR, 5/13).

Joe Hrgovcic, a quantitative analyst in the weather team at Enron, has joined Harvard Asset Management in Boston as a quant covering foreign equities. Hrgovcic, who was due to start last Friday as PFR went to press, was between positions and could not be reached for comment. Enron's weather operation has been on ice since the trading house filed for Chapter 11 protection in December. Individual Enron staffers have started to resurface in the market (PFR, 1/21), and weather chief Mark Tawney is also looking to take part of the team to another shop (PFR, 1/28).

HSBC Securities has hired Shawn Burke, a utility and pipelines analyst at Greenwich Capital Markets, in the new position of senior v.p. and investment-grade utilities and pipelines analyst in New York. Robert Smalley, investment-grade research head at HSBC, says Burke was hired because the recent volatility in the pipeline sector has created investment opportunities. "He's one of the top analysts in the market, so hopefully he can help us develop that business," says Smalley. Burke says he joined HSBC because he wanted to return to the sell-side. Prior to joining Greenwich Capital Markets, he was head of investment-grade research at Barclays Capital.

Anchorage, Alaska-based Chugach Electric Association, the state's largest utility, last week tapped the bond mart for $180 million to allow it to drop higher coupon debt. Joe Griffith, cfo, says the funds will take out a $150 million 9.14% bond series issued in 1991. The redemption premium is $13.6 million. The new issue is made up of $120 million of 10-year non-callable paper, paying a coupon of 6.20% and yielding 6.21% at issue, and $60 million in auction-rate bonds, which have an initial interest rate of 1.97%. The balance of the new funds will be used for general corporate purposes

The Platte River Power Authority tapped the municipal bond market on Jan. 23 with a $152 million offering to fund its $127 million construction of three natural gas-fired projects in Cheyenne, Colo. and repay existing debt. Once on line, the facilities--dubbed Rawhide A, B and C--will have a combined capacity of 243 MW.

Following is a directory of ongoing generation asset sales. The accuracy of the information, which is derived from many sources, is deemed reliable but cannot be guaranteed. To report new auctions or changes in the status of a sale, please call Will Ainger, managing editor, at (44-20) 7303-1735 or e-mail wainger@euromoneyplc.com. Seller Plants Location MW Plant Type Advisor Status American Electric Power/ Northeastern units 3 & 4 Okla. 300 Coal N/A Reviewing sale strategies. Central and Southwest Corp. Lon C. Hill Texas 546 Gas Nueces Bay Texas 559 Gas Ennis S. Joslin Texas 249 Gas ADWEA Um Al Nar Abu Dhabi 1,100 Gas & Water Desalination CSFB Expected to send out RFPs in December. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Syracuse N.Y. 100 CHP Navigant Final bids due by late Nov. Beaver falls N.Y. 100 CHP Niagara falls N.Y. 52 Coal CMS Energy Loy Yang Melbourne, Australia 2,000 Coal Not chosen Announced intention to sell. Ensenada Argentina 128 Gas-fired J.P. Morgan CT Mendoza Argentina 520 Gas-fired J.P. Morgan El Chocon Argentina 1,320 Hydroelectric J.P. Morgan DPL All plants Ohio 3,500 N/A Morgan Stanley Enel Eurogen Italy 7,008 Various - Having sold Elettrogen it will sell one of two Interpower Italy 2,611 Various - other generation portfolios shortly. Enron Bahia Las Minas Panama 355 PwC Intention to sell. Pueto Quetzal Guatemala 110 (administrator) PQPLLC Guatemala 124 Margarita II Nicaragua 70.5 EcoElectrica Puerto Rico 507 Puerto Plata Dominican Republic 185 Cuiaba Brazil 480 Nowa Sarzyna Poland 116 Sarlux Italy 551 Trakya Turkey 478 Chengdu Cogen China 284 Northern Marianas Guam 80 Bantagas Philippines 110 Dabhol India 2,184 Subic Bay Philippines 116 Teesside U.K. 1875 Wilton U.K. 154 IVO Energy Brigg U.K. 240 Gas BNP Paribas Preparing information memo. South Humber U.K. 1,240 Gas Grangemouth*** U.K. 130 Gas Edenderry Ireland 120 Peat Independent Energy Various U.K. 130 N/A KPMG KPMG is handling the asset sale after Independent Energy went into receivership. MARCOR Remediation - Calif. 5.7 Wood - - (A broker acting for an undisclosed seller) Niagara Mohawk Power Nine Mile Point 1 N.Y. 1,614 Nuclear N/A Awaiting bids. Nine Mile Point 2 N.Y. 1,140 Nuclear N/A North Atlantic Energy Seabrook* N.H. 408 Nuclear N/A Must be sold by Dec. 2003. Oman (Ministry of Housing, Rusail Oman 730 Gas - - Electricity & Water) Ghubratt Oman 507 CHP Wad Al-Jazzi Oman 350 Gas Ontario Power Generation Lennox Ontario 2,140 Oil, gas Merrill Lynch & Expects to sell Lennox and Lakeview shortly. Lakeview Ontario 1,140 Coal Scotia Capital- Atikokan Ontario 215 Coal Thunder Bay Ontario 310 Coal Mississagi River Ontario 490 Hydro Pacific Gas & Electric 68 Plants Calif. 3,800 Hydro Morgan Stanley Awaiting PUC approval. Expect sale to close shortly. Public Service Co. of New Merrimack N.H. 475.8 Coal J.P. Morgan Subject to approval for rate settlement by PUC Hampshire (Northeast Utilities) Newington N.H. 415 Oil/gas and state legislature. Schiller N.H. 146.6 Oil/gas Lost Nation N.H. 19.1 Diesel Merrimack N.H. 42.2 Diesel Public Service Co. of New Schiller N.H. 18 Diesel Subject to approval for rate settlement by PUC Hampshire (Northeast Utilities) White Lake N.H. 23 Diesel and state legislature. Amoskeag N.H. 17.5 Hydro Ayers Island N.H. 9.1 Hydro Canaan Vt. 1.1 Hydro Eastman Falls N.H. 6.5 Hydro Garvins Falls N.H. 12.1 Hydro Gorham N.H. 2.1 Hydro Hoolsett N.H. 1.95 Hydro Jackman N.H. 3.55 Hydro Smith N.H. 14.2 Hydro Reliant Resources Reliant Energy Power Netherlands 3,476 Mixture Merrill Lynch Is looking to seal sale imminently Generation Benelux Argener Argentina 160 CHP - - ScottishPower Hazelwood Victoria, Australia 1,600 Coal CSFB Final bids due shortly. TXU Lake Creek Texas 323 Gas Merrill Lynch Reviewing sales strategy. Tradinghouse Texas 1,340 River Crest Texas 110 Mountain Creek Texas 893 Parkdale Texas 327 North Main Texas 123 Monticello Texas 1,900 Coal Merrill Lynch Is looking to sell an undisclosed number of its Martin Lake Texas 2,250 coal assets. Big Brown Texas 1,150 Sandow Texas 545 Wisconsin Energy Bridgeport Conn. 1,100 (combined) - - Has put up for sale following collaspe New Haven Conn. 1,100 (combined) of NRG deal. * North Atlantic Energy owns 34.8% of Seabrook *** Fortum owns 75% of Grangemouth. Mitsubishi owns the remainder.

Reliant Resources has short-listed two bidders to purchase its 3,476 MW Dutch generation portfolio and trading business, but market participants doubt whether the Houston IPP is close to sealing a sale.

Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, BNP Paribas, HSBC and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi have won the mandate to finance the Al Hidd power and water desalination project in Bahrain and hope to close the transaction later this month. Bankers involved in the transaction say the non-recourse loan will be underwritten on a club basis and is unlikely to be syndicated among other banks.