San Francisco, April 18, 2001 (paperloop.com) - Paperloop, the premier information and e-business network for the paper, printing and converting industries, has launched an online energy procurement marketplace, formed through an alliance with YourEnergySource, a leading online energy supply chain management platform owned by Aquila, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of UtiliCorp United. The marketplace is available on paperloop's industry leading web site, www.paperloop.com/emarketplace. Visitors to paperloop.com can directly access YourEnergySource's unique "RFP Marketplace" which utilizes an extremely efficient, easy-to-use method for the creation, posting and bidding of energy RFPs. All RFPs submitted through the marketplace are standardized and pre-screened, making it easier and faster for suppliers to respond with confidential bids. In addition to an extremely efficient format, YourEnergySource's marketplace offers paperloop customers access to one of the largest national networks of leading natural gas and electricity suppliers. "Because the pulp and paper industry is fifth worldwide in terms of energy consumption and profits are down in part due to rising energy costs, adding an energy resource to the paperloop.com community has been a top priority," said Tim Fazio, president and CEO of paperloop. "We chose to partner with YourEnergySource because their marketplace model emphasizes speed, standardization and efficiency, and has the potential to bring tremendous benefit to our industry by reducing inefficiencies and increasing competitive pricing in the energy supply chain." "As the largest pulp and paper portal in the world, we were confident that an alliance with paperloop would provide YourEnergySource with direct access to the most qualified audience in the industry," said Chuck Campbell, Vice President-Business Development for YourEnergySource. "Our energy marketplace will help mill professionals and most other paperloop customers manage their energy supply chain more effectively and efficiently by giving them access to invaluable, energy-related information and services, and bringing them together with highly qualified suppliers of commodity energy products."