Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).

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Even many opponents of privatisation admitted that the level of service from utility companies often seemed to improve once ownership passed out of public hands.

BBC: Wales politics

In 1988, Public Service Company of New Hampshire became the first American utility since the Depression to go bankrupt, mostly because of the unexpected costs of a nuclear plant.

ECONOMIST: Boom