| 
Energy Industry Challenges: Regulated Utilities
Utilities operating in the regulated sector of the energy
market are typically vertically integrated with distribution,
retail and sometimes generation operations. Some are
not-for-profit organisations owned by the communities
that they serve while others are subsidiaries of investor
owned utilities.
Industry deregulation has introduced retail competition
in many energy markets. Regulated utilities do not compete
for customers in deregulated markets but supply only
customers connected to their distribution network. The
tariffs that can be offered are constrained by the regulator
and in some markets incumbent utilities are nominated
as suppliers of last resort.
The deregulation process has had an impact on many
regulated energy utilities. Those operating in deregulated
markets now have to deal with third part retailers trading
over their distribution networks. They also have to
measure and meet regulatory performance obligations.
Some utilities have also noticed that stakeholders have
enhanced expectations of customer service and operational
efficiency.
Many regulated utilities have found that they need
new tools to operate in the evolving energy marketplace.
Many have found that legacy customer management tools
simply do not offer sufficient functionality and flexibility.
Kinetiq's suite of products has been developed to assist
utilities - both regulated and nonregulated - in the
evolving energy marketplace.
A Kinetiq Regulated
Utilities industry paper review some of the
ways in which utilities operating in deregulated markets
can improve their performance, service levels and return
on investment.
|
