Departments.

The article discusses various issues related to energy development. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved 82 of the initial set of 87 mandatory system reliability standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Council. The FERC is likely to enforce the reliability standards from June 1, 2007, failing which power companies may face heavy penalties. The article also discusses the widespread use of hydroelectricity in Colombia. Colombia gets 76 percent of its electricity from hydro plants. Thermal plants fueled by coal and natural gas are used to fill shortfalls in supply during the dry season.