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ZURICH (Thomson Financial) - Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to 718 mln sfr in March from 1.381 bln in February, the Federal Customs Office said. Exports in February rose a nominal 9.2 pct or a real and inflation-adjusted 7.7 pct to 17.15 bln sfr, while imports rose a nominal 13.3 pct or real 13.4 pct to 16.4 bln sfr, the office said. andrew.ge.thompson@thomson.com at/vs COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution...

Walmart may sell energy to Texans

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30 (UPI) — U.S. big-box store Wal-Mart announced plans to install solar panels and windmills at some stores, as well as the creation of its own electricity company.

The company’s environmental goals also include selling 100 million compact corkscrew fluorescent light bulbs this year, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The electricity company, Texas Retail Energy, will supply Wal-Mart’s stores with cheap, wholesale power. About $15 million will be saved by this endeavor annually, also giving the company control over its utility bills.

The infrastructure of the energy company has grown, so TRE can now sell electricity to Texas consumers. High prices for power in Texas and an open market could lead TRE to be a local competitor.

“We’ve considered it. Whether or not it will ever materialize, we don’t know. It boils down to whether the customers and suppliers want that,” said Chris Hendrix, general manager of Texas Retail Energy. “Short-term, it’s out of our scope. Longer-term, anything’s possible.”

Many retailers have begun installing software to control store lights and temperature to help cut bills. While many big-box stores have taken energy issues to the corporate level, Wal-Mart is the first to buy energy wholesale.