<ARTICLE>                     UT
<LEGEND>
This  schedule  contains  summary  financial   information  extracted  from  the
Statement of Income, Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows, and is qualified
in its entirety by reference to such financial statements.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER>                  1000
       
                             
<PERIOD-TYPE>                   6-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>               DEC-31-1998
<PERIOD-END>                    SEP-30-1998
<BOOK-VALUE>                    PER-BOOK
<TOTAL-NET-UTILITY-PLANT>       3,808,857
<OTHER-PROPERTY-AND-INVEST>       118,848
<TOTAL-CURRENT-ASSETS>          2,705,557
<TOTAL-DEFERRED-CHARGES>          593,817
<OTHER-ASSETS>                    297,548
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                  7,524,627
<COMMON>                            1,552
<CAPITAL-SURPLUS-PAID-IN>       2,870,669
<RETAINED-EARNINGS>               721,724
<TOTAL-COMMON-STOCKHOLDERS-EQ>  3,593,945
<PREFERRED-MANDATORY>             363,000
<PREFERRED>                        85,000
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-NET>            1,544,065
<SHORT-TERM-NOTES>                      0
<LONG-TERM-NOTES-PAYABLE>               0
<COMMERCIAL-PAPER-OBLIGATIONS>          0
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-CURRENT-PORT>     397,000
<PREFERRED-STOCK-CURRENT>               0
<CAPITAL-LEASE-OBLIGATIONS>             0
<LEASES-CURRENT>                        0
<OTHER-ITEMS-CAPITAL-AND-LIAB>  1,541,617
<TOT-CAPITALIZATION-AND-LIAB>   7,524,627
<GROSS-OPERATING-REVENUE>         995,244
<INCOME-TAX-EXPENSE>              (76,652)
<OTHER-OPERATING-EXPENSES>        896,190
<TOTAL-OPERATING-EXPENSES>        819,538
<OPERATING-INCOME-LOSS>           175,706
<OTHER-INCOME-NET>                (39,511)
<INCOME-BEFORE-INTEREST-EXPEN>    136,195
<TOTAL-INTEREST-EXPENSE>          116,601
<NET-INCOME>                       19,594
<PREFERRED-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>        19,910
<EARNINGS-AVAILABLE-FOR-COMM>        (316)
<COMMON-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>          159,434
<TOTAL-INTEREST-ON-BONDS>         100,668
<CASH-FLOW-OPERATIONS>           (476,463)
<EPS-PRIMARY>                        0.00
<EPS-DILUTED>                        0.00