Francois Baril has been named president of ESCO Corp.’s turbine technologies group. He succeeds Perry Harvey, who retired in February.

Thomas DeNova has been named president and CEO of power industry service provider North American Energy Services Co.

Avista Corp. Chairman of the Board and CEO Gary G. Ely will retire effective Dec. 31, 2007. President and COO Scott L. Morris was elected as chairman and CEO effective Jan. 1, 2008. The board also appointed Morris as a director on the board effective immediately.

Thos. E. Capps will not seek re-election as chairman of the board or as a director of Dominion at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on April 27, 2007. The board is expected to elect a new chairman at that time. Capps has served as non-executive chairman since Jan. 1, 2006, when he retired as CEO. Capps served as CEO of Dominion for approximately 15 years and chairman for approximately 13 years.

David Ruud has been named president of DTE Energy Services, which develops, and operates energy projects for industrial, commercial and institutional customers and power generation facilities.

Sierra Pacific Resources said that Michael W. Yackira has been elected president and chief operating officer and a member of the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. Yackira had served as the company’s chief financial officer since December 2003, is succeeded by William D. Rogers who, also effective immediately, is senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.

PG&E Corporation elected Thomas B. King as president, effective July 1. King is currently CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. He will assume the role of president from Peter A. Darbee, who will remain CEO and chairman of the Corporation’s boards of directors. Succeeding King will be William T. Morrow, who is currently the utility’s president and COO. Morrow will lead and manage all of the utility’s operations, including electric generation.

Peabody Energy named George J. Schuller Vice President of Continuous Improvement. He has served in various management positions at U.S. operations, and most recently was General Manager of Underground Operations and General Manager of Mining Support for Peabody’s Australian operations.

Public Service Enterprise Group elected Frank C. Ameo, vice president-engineering and operations support, PSEG Power; and Robert C. Braun, vice president-operations support, PSEG Nuclear.

Bill Habermeyer Jr., who retired last year as president and CEO of Progress Energy Florida, has joined the board of Southern Co.