Two lower-risk renewable power buys

Article Excerpt

Expensive wind and solar power doesn’t make sense economically. However, Algonquin and Innergex sell all of their wind and solar power under long-term, government-guaranteed contracts at above-market prices. That cuts their risk. ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES CORP. $5.60 (Toronto symbol AQN; Shares outstanding: 112.8 million; Market cap: $631.7 million; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 5.0%; www.algonquinpower.com) holds interests in 45 hydroelectric plants in Canada and the northeastern U.S. It also owns 12 thermal-energy facilities. Algonquin’s wholly owned subsidiary, Liberty Water Co., owns 19 water-distribution and sewage treatment plants in the U.S. The company also has a partnership with Emera Inc. (Toronto symbol EMA), which is a recommendation of The Successful Investor, our conservative growth advisory. Emera holds a 24.4% interest in Algonquin. This partnership, called Liberty Energy Utilities, continues to make acquisitions. Liberty Energy’s purchases include NV Energy, which sells power to 47,000 customers near Lake Tahoe; Atmos Energy, which distributes natural gas to 84,000 customers in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois; and…