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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
FORM U-57
NOTIFICATION OF FOREIGN UTILITY COMPANY STATUS
Filed under section 33(a) of the
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended
EMPRESA DISTRIBUIDORA DE ELECTRICIDAD
DE SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO S.A.
...............................................................
(Name of foreign company)
HOUSTON INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
................................................................................
(Name of filing company, if filed on behalf of a foreign utility company)
Item 1
The name of the entity claiming foreign utility status is Empresa
Distribuidora de Electricidad de Santiago del Estero S.A., an Argentine
corporation ("EDESE"), the business address of which is Avenida 214 (CS)
(yRivadavia), 4200 - Santiago del Estero, Argentina. EDESE distributes
electricity to approximately 100,000 customers in Santiago del Estero,
Argentina. Set forth below is a description of the facilities owned and/or
used by EDESE for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric
energy for sale:
EDESE has approximately 2,260 circuit-kilometers of primary distribution
voltage circuitry and 3,450 circuit-kilometers of secondary voltage
circuitry. Transmission voltage circuitry in EDESE's service area is owned
by a regional transmission company. EDESE has an installed generating
capacity of approximately 18 MW.
As of the date of this notification, 90% of the voting stock of EDESE is
owned by Industrias Electricas de Houston S.A., an Argentine company
("INDUSTRIAS").
Item 2
The name of the domestic associate public-utility company is Houston
Lighting & Power Company, a Texas corporation ("HL&P"), and its holding company
is Houston Industries Incorporated, a Texas corporation ("HI"). HI owns all of
the outstanding voting stock of HL&P and Houston Industries Energy, Inc., a
Delaware corporation ("HI Energy"). HI Energy owns all of the outstanding
voting stock of INDUSTRIAS. The sole asset of INDUSTRIAS is its investment in
EDESE. No portion of the purchase price for EDESE was paid by HL&P.
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Exhibit 99.a
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1. The certification of the State of Texas required under Section 33(a)(2)
of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as amended.
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SIGNATURE
The undersigned company has duly caused this statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
HOUSTON INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
By: /s/ Mary P. Ricciardello
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Mary P. Ricciardello
Comptroller and Principal Accounting Officer
Date: January 16, 1995
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Exhibit 99.a
[LOGO OF SEAL Public Utility Commission of Texas Marta Greytok
OF TEXAS 7800 Shoal Creek Boulevard Commissioner
APPEARS HERE] Austin, Texas 78757 . 512/458-0100
Robert W. Gee
Chairman
Karl R. Rabago
Commissioner
November 12, 1992
Mr. Jonathan G. Katz
Secretary
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20549
Dear Mr. Katz:
Houston Lighting and Power Company (HL&P), a subsidiary of Houston
Industries Incorporated (HII), a Texas corporation, has advised this Commission
that HII is considering participation in the privatization of EDELAP S.A., an
Argentine public utility company (EDELAP) and that HII may in the future
consider participation in other such activities with respect to foreign public
utility companies. In connection with such activities, HL&P has requested that
the Public Utility Commission of Texas (the Commission) provide to you the
certification contemplated in Section 33(a)(2) of the Public Utility Holding
Company Act of 1935 (15 U.S.C. 79 et. seq.), which section was added to that Act
by Section 715 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
As the State Commission having jurisdiction over the retail electric rates
of HII's public utility subsidiary, HL&P, please be advised that this
Commission:
(i) has the authority and resources to protect the ratepayers of HL&P; and
(ii) intends to exercise such authority.
This certification is considered applicable with respect to an acquisition
of an interest in EDELAP and as to other foreign utility companies in which HII
seeks to obtain an ownership interest, but such certification is expressly
conditioned on and is subject to being revised or withdrawn by this Commission
as to any future acquisition. Houston Lighting & Power Company has represented
that they will timely inform this Commission of any efforts by HII to seek an
ownership interest in other foreign utility companies.
Sincerely,
/s/ Robert W. Gee
Robert W. Gee
Chairman
BIS/sh
cc: William C. Weeden
Office of Public Utility Regulation
Securities and Exchange Commission
