Electric Utilities & Power Generators
The Electric Utilities & Power Generators industry is made up of companies that generate electricity; build, own, and operate transmission and distribution (T&D) lines; and sell electricity. Utilities generate electricity from a number of different sources, commonly including coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, hydropower, solar, wind, and other renewable and fossil fuel energy sources. The industry comprises companies operating in both regulated and unregulated business structures. Regulated utilities maintain a business model in which they accept comprehensive oversight from regulators on their pricing mechanisms and their allowed return on equity, among other types of regulation, in exchange for their license to operate as a monopoly. Unregulated companies, or merchant power companies, are often independent power producers (IPPs) that generate electricity to sell to the wholesale market, which includes regulated utility buyers and other end-users. Furthermore, the industry is divided across regulated and deregulated power markets—referring to how far up the value chain regulated utility operations span. Regulated markets typically contain vertically integrated utilities that own and operate everything from the generation of power to its retail distribution. Deregulated markets commonly split generation from distribution, designed to encourage competition at the wholesale power level. Overall, companies in the industry are challenged with the complex mission of providing reliable, accessible, low-cost power while balancing the protection of human life and the environment.
Gas Utilities & Distributors
The Gas Utilities & Distributors industry is made up of gas distribution and marketing companies. Gas distribution involves operating local, low-pressure pipes to transfer natural gas from larger transmission pipes to end users. Gas marketing companies are gas brokers that aggregate natural gas into quantities that fit the needs of their different customers and then deliver it, generally through other companies’ transmission and distribution lines. A relatively smaller portion of this industry is involved in propane gas distribution; therefore this standard is focused on natural gas distribution. Both types of gas are commonly used for heating and cooking by residential, commercial, and industrial customers. In structurally regulated markets, the utility is granted a full monopoly over the distribution and sale of natural gas. A regulator must approve the rates utilities charge to avoid the abuse of their monopoly position. In deregulated markets, distribution and marketing are legally separated and customers have a choice of which company to buy their gas from. In this case, a utility is guaranteed a monopoly only over distribution and is legally required to transmit all gas equitably along its pipes for a fixed fee. Overall, companies in the industry are tasked with providing safe, reliable, low-cost gas, while effectively managing their social and environmental impacts, such as community safety and methane emissions.
