Document:

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                                                                 Exhibit 10.23.8

                        SEVENTY-EIGHTH AGREEMENT AMENDING
                        NEW ENGLAND POWER POOL AGREEMENT
                        (REVISED SECTIONS 18.4 AND 18.5)

      THIS SEVENTY-EIGHTH AGREEMENT AMENDING NEW ENGLAND POWER POOL AGREEMENT,
dated as of September 24, 2001 ("Seventy-Eighth Agreement"), amends the New
England Power Pool Agreement (the "NEPOOL Agreement"), as amended.

      WHEREAS, the NEPOOL Agreement as in effect on December 1, 1996 was amended
and restated by the Thirty-Third Agreement Amending New England Power Pool
Agreement dated as of December 1, 1996 (the "Thirty-Third Agreement") in the
form of the Restated New England Power Pool Agreement ("Restated NEPOOL
Agreement") attached to the Thirty-Third Agreement as Exhibit A thereto, and the
Thirty-Third Agreement also provided for the NEPOOL Open Access Transmission
Tariff (the "NEPOOL Tariff") which is Attachment B to the Restated NEPOOL
Agreement; and

      WHEREAS, the Restated NEPOOL Agreement and the NEPOOL Tariff have
subsequently been amended numerous times, the most recent amendment dated as of
July 13, 2001; and

      WHEREAS, this agreement amends the Restated NEPOOL Agreement to comply
with the directives of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in its order
issued August 27, 2001 in Docket Nos. ER98-3853-008 and ER00-62-030, New England
Power Pool and ISO New England Inc., et al., 96 FERC Paragraph 61,228 (2001)
(the "August 27 Order"); and

      WHEREAS, the Participants desire to amend the Restated NEPOOL Agreement as
heretofore amended, to reflect the revisions detailed herein.

      NOW, THEREFORE, upon approval of this Seventy-Eighth Agreement by the
NEPOOL Participants Committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in the
Restated NEPOOL Agreement, the Participants agree as follows:

                                    SECTION 1
                     AMENDMENTS TO RESTATED NEPOOL AGREEMENT

1.1   Section 18.4 is amended so that it reads as follows:

      18.4  Review of Participant's Proposed Plans. Each Participant shall
            submit to the System Operator, for review by the Participants
            Committee, the Reliability Committee, and the Markets Committee or
            the Tariff Committee, as appropriate, in such form, manner and
            detail as the System Operator may reasonably prescribe, (i) any new
            or materially changed plan for additions to, retirements of, or
            changes in the capacity of any supply and demand-side resources or
            transmission facilities rated 69 kV or above subject to control of
            such Participant, and (ii) any new or materially changed plan for
            any other action to be taken by the Participant which may have a
            significant effect on the stability, reliability or operating
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            characteristics of its system or the system of any other
            Participant. No significant action (other than preliminary
            engineering action) leading toward implementation of any such new or
            changed plan shall be taken earlier than sixty days (or ninety days,
            if the System Operator determines that it requires additional time
            to consider the plan and so notifies the Participant in writing
            within the sixty days) after the plan has been submitted to the
            System Operator. Unless prior to the expiration of the sixty or
            ninety days, whichever is applicable, the System Operator notifies
            the Participant in writing that it has determined that
            implementation of the plan will have a significant adverse effect
            upon the reliability or operating characteristics of its system or
            of the systems of one or more other Participants, the Participant
            shall be free to proceed. The System Operator shall maintain on its
            website a list of Section 18.4 applications that are currently under
            review and the status of each such application. The System Operator
            shall provide notice of any action taken with respect to any Section
            18.4 applications, including an explanation of its reasons for such
            action, to each Participant as soon as reasonably practicable after
            such action is taken. The time limits provided by this Section 18.4
            may be changed with respect to any such submission by agreement
            between the System Operator and the Participant required to submit
            the plan.

1.2   Section 18.5 is amended so that it reads as follows:

      18.5  Participant to Avoid Adverse Effect. If the System Operator notifies
            a Participant pursuant to Section 18.4 that implementation of the
            Participant's plan has been determined to have a significant adverse
            effect upon the reliability or operating characteristics of its
            system or the systems of one or more other Participants, the
            Participant shall not proceed to implement such plan unless the
            Participant or the Non-Participant on whose behalf the Participant
            has submitted its plan takes such action or constructs at its
            expense such facilities as the System Operator determines to be
            reasonably necessary to avoid such adverse effect; provided that if
            the plan is for the retirement of a supply or demand-side resource,
            the Participant may proceed with its plan only if, after engaging in
            good faith negotiations with persons designated by the System
            Operator to address the adverse effects on reliability or operating
            characteristics, the negotiations either address the adverse effects
            to the satisfaction of the System Operator, or no satisfactory
            resolution can be achieved on terms acceptable to the parties within
            90 days of the Participant's receipt of the System Operator's
            notice. Any agreement resulting from such negotiations shall be in
            writing and shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's
            filing requirements if it requires any payment.

                                      -2-
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                                    SECTION 2
                                  MISCELLANEOUS

2.1   This Seventy-Eighth Agreement shall become effective as of September 1,
      2001 or on such other date as the Commission shall provide that the
      amendments reflected herein shall become effective.

2.2   Terms used in this Seventy-Eighth Agreement that are not defined herein
      shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Restated NEPOOL Agreement.

2.3   A vote by or on behalf of a Participant in favor of this Seventy-Eighth
      Agreement evidences an agreement that changes reflected herein effect
      compliance with directives of the August 27 Order. Such agreement is not,
      and is not to be construed as, a voluntary agreement to the substance of
      the changes reflected herein and is without prejudice to the voting
      Participant's right to challenge the August 27 Order.

                                      -3-<PAGE>
                                                                 Exhibit 10.23.9

                        SEVENTY-NINTH AGREEMENT AMENDING
                        NEW ENGLAND POWER POOL AGREEMENT
                           (ICAP COMPLIANCE AMENDMENT)

      THIS SEVENTY-NINTH AGREEMENT AMENDING NEW ENGLAND POWER POOL AGREEMENT,
dated as of September 24, 2001 ("Seventy-Eighth Agreement"), amends the New
England Power Pool Agreement (the "NEPOOL Agreement"), as amended.

      WHEREAS, the NEPOOL Agreement as in effect on December 1, 1996 was amended
and restated by the Thirty-Third Agreement Amending New England Power Pool
Agreement dated as of December 1, 1996 (the "Thirty-Third Agreement") in the
form of the Restated New England Power Pool Agreement ("Restated NEPOOL
Agreement") attached to the Thirty-Third Agreement as Exhibit A thereto, and the
Thirty-Third Agreement also provided for the NEPOOL Open Access Transmission
Tariff (the "NEPOOL Tariff") which is Attachment B to the Restated NEPOOL
Agreement; and

      WHEREAS, the Restated NEPOOL Agreement and the NEPOOL Tariff have
subsequently been amended numerous times, the most recent amendment dated as of
July 13, 2001; and

      WHEREAS, this agreement amends the Restated NEPOOL Agreement to comply
with the directives of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in its order
issued August 28, 2001 in Docket Nos. EL00-62-026 and EL00-62-029, ISO New
England Inc., 96 FERC Paragraph 61,234 (2001) (the "August 28 Order"); and

      WHEREAS, the Participants desire to amend the Restated NEPOOL Agreement as
heretofore amended, to reflect the revisions detailed herein.

      NOW, THEREFORE, upon approval of this Seventy-Ninth Agreement by the
NEPOOL Participants Committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in the
Restated NEPOOL Agreement, the Participants agree as follows:

                                    SECTION 1
                     AMENDMENT TO RESTATED NEPOOL AGREEMENT

1.1   Section 12.5(d) is amended so that it reads as follows:

      (d)   The revenues from the Installed Capability Responsibility deficiency
            charge payments for each month shall be allocated among those
            Participants whose minimum monthly Installed System Capabilities are
            equal to or greater than their Installed Capability
            Responsibilities. The allocation to each such Participant shall be
            in the same proportion as that Participant's minimum monthly
            Installed System Capability for the month is to the aggregate
            minimum monthly Installed System Capabilities of all Participants
            entitled for the month to such revenues.
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                                    SECTION 2
                                  MISCELLANEOUS

2.1   This Seventy-Ninth Agreement shall become effective as of September 1,
      2001 or on such other date as the Commission shall provide that the
      amendment reflected herein shall become effective.

2.2   Terms used in this Seventy-Ninth Agreement that are not defined herein
      shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Restated NEPOOL Agreement.

2.3   A vote by or on behalf of a Participant in favor of this Seventy-Ninth
      Agreement evidences an agreement that changes reflected herein effect
      compliance with directives of the August 28 Order. Such agreement is not,
      and is not to be construed as, a voluntary agreement to the substance of
      the changes reflected herein and is without prejudice to the voting
      Participant's right to challenge the August 28 Order.

                                      -2-

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