What are the most comprehensive and detailed sources of historical and
forecast data describing consumption patterns of buyers of wholesale
electricity and electric capacity?  The Energy Information Agency
(EIA) of the Department of Energy has statistics on generation
capacity, electricity produced and fuel mix used, but very incomplete
information on what types of consumers buy the generation capacity or
the electricity itself.  In this context, buyers can be either or both
end-consumers or resellers of generation capacity and electricity.

---

Request for Question Clarification by techtor-ga on 20 Oct 2002 01:10 PDT

May I know if you are looking for US data or world data in general, or
of any specific region? I was able to find a site for the New Zealand
industry... but I'd like to check what you are really after. Thanks.

techtor

---

Clarification of Question by brtereit-ga on 21 Oct 2002 07:22 PDT

Yes, of course.  I am looking for data on North America.  For purposes
of the power industry, the United States, Canada and the very northern
parts of Mexico are considered "North America".  However, data on the
United States would satisfy my primary objective.

---

Request for Question Clarification by techtor-ga on 07 Nov 2002 21:17 PST

Hello brtereit,

Thanks for your patience.

I'm sure you've seen the resouces mentioned in the comments below.
Most of the other resources I've found were magazines and academic
studies (in .docs and .pdfs) of the wholesale power industry. Please
tell me if they fit your requirement. Thank you.

Techtor

---

Clarification of Question by brtereit-ga on 08 Nov 2002 09:47 PST

Yes, thank you.  Docs and PDFs would also fit the bill.  While online
is preferrable because it is always more accessible, I cannot get hung
up on that exclusively.  If I have to visit research libraries or
contact magazines for reprints or whatever, then I will none-the-less
be glad for the specific directions to do so.

Hello brtereit,
Thanks for being patient, sorry for posting only when close to the
last minute. As you can see from the search string list below, I tried
a whole range of searches to get as many results as possible. So for
lack of further time, I shall post what I have found so far. I also
haven’t had time to explain what all of them are too, so I hope you
could make do with just the list of sites.

Let me start with some official pages, some of which were mentioned by
asiatechnicals in the comments:


ENERGY INFORMATION AGENCY
You mentioned that you looked at this site already, but I will mention
parts that you might have missed.

EIA - International Energy Forecasts and Analyses 
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/forecast.html#Forecasts

Renewable Electricity Purchases: Background and recent development
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/rea_issues/html/background.html

Fact sheet from the EIA on the Wholesale Electricity industry – with
links to other analyses
Wholesale Competition in the U.S. Electric Power Industry 
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/fact_sheets/wholesale.html

Electric Trade in the United States - Executive Summary
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/etus/exec_sum.html

The Changing Structure of the electric Power Industry 2000: An Update
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/chg_stru_update/update2000.html

Annual Energy Outlook 2002 with Projections to 2020
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/index.html

Utility-by-utility breakdowns for each state/district (thanks to
asiatechnicals):
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/_states.html 


ELECTRICITY CONSUMER’S RESOURCE COUNCIL
http://www.elcon.org/
- This could be where you could get data on consumers’ actions toward
the wholesale industry.

“ELCON has been a leading advocate of competitive change since 1976 --
articulating and promoting policies that increasingly make it possible
for buyers and sellers of electricity to negotiate for reliable,
affordable supplies in an open market.

The Electricity Consumers Resource Council
1333 H Street, NW
The West Tower, 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: 202-682-1390
Fax: 202-289-6370
Email: elcon@elcon.org


EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE
http://www.eei.org/
- The association of US shareholder-owned electric companies,
international affiliates and industry associates worldwide

EEI page on Retail Energy services
http://www.eei.org/esg/market/#mkt_srvc
- Links to various market services of EEI for energy retailers

Retail Load Participation in Competitive Wholesale Electricity
http://www.eei.org/issues/comp_reg/retail_load.pdf

United States of America before the federal energy regulatory
commission
www.eei.org/edg/econ/issues/ testimony/FERC715.final.pdf


AURORA EPIS
http://www.epis.com 

“EPIS offers information products and services to the electric energy
marketplace. The rapidly growing market for our information and
services can be attributed to the continuing rapid transition to
competitive electric markets.”

Epis has various links to other resources about the wholesale power
industry. You might be interested in the “Circuit Breaker” news link.
http://www.epis.com/EnergyLinks/default.htm  


THE INDEPENDENT ELECTRICITY MARKET OPERATOR
http://www.theimo.com
- This is a magazine for independent power providers. It also has news
on the power industry in general.

The Independent Electricity Market Operator – Market Overview
http://www.theimo.com/imoweb/mktOverview/mktOverview.asp

Consumer actions can reduce wholesale price of electricity during this
week’s hotter weather, says the IMO  – June 9, 2002, Independent
Electricity Operator
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
www.theimo.com/imoweb/pubs/bulletins/bu_NR20020609.pdf  


STUDIES

Designing a competitive Wholesale Electricity Market that benefits
customers
http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/research/conferences/calelectricity/wolak.pdf
- Here’s a study by Frank Wolak on improving the Wholesale Electricity
Market for the customers’ benefit.

PDF document: Competitive Electricity Markets and Innovative
Technologies: Hourly Pricing Can Pave the Way for the Introduction of
Technology and Innovation by William L. Reed
(Two links) http://www.rand.org/scitech/stpi/Evision/Supplement/reed.pdf
http://www.rand.org/publications/CF/ CF170.1.1/CF170.1.reed.pdf

RAND documents on the E-Vision 2000 conference 
http://www.rand.org/scitech/stpi/Evision/Supplement/

Design of Wholesale Electricity Market
By Hung-po Chao and Robert Wilson
Electric Power Research Institute
http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/wilson/
E542/classfiles/draft990106.pdf

RDI’s Outlook for Power in North America – from The Resource,
Financial Times Energy
http://public.resdata.com/resource/STUDIES/pow_out.htm  

Deregulation will cause significant fluctuations in electricity
prices, new study reveals by Mark Shwartz - from the Stanford report,
May 14, 2001
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/01/energystudy516.html

MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
http://web.mit.edu/ceepr/www/

Wholesale Electricity Market Price Forecast in Vermont, from the
Vermont Department of Public service
http://www.state.vt.us/psd/6545/ExDPS-DFL-1.PDF  

Electricity Restructuring In North America
A Synopsis
Luc Bouchard
Consultant, Economic and Financial Studies
TESSAG KSH CONSULTING
http://www.ksh.ca/Coporate%20Documents/Techical%20papers/ElectricityDeregulation.pdf

Market power in restructured electricity markets: The case of the
United States
by Sophie Meritet 
Assistant Professor 
Universite Paris Dauphine
http://www.dauphine.fr/cgemp/Manifestations/MarketPower/6Meritet.pdf

Other Groups Review Restructuring
http://www.ncat.org/neaap/journal/otherstudies.htm  

Powering a generation of change: Site Main Page, from the Smithstonian
Institution
http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/powering/
- Documents the history of power restructuring in the United States

The History, Status and Future of Electric Deregulation in
Pennsylvania:
A Comparative Regulatory Analysis
As Presented by Robert V. Eckenrod, 
Assistant Counsel, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission at the
Waypoint York College Institute Regional Economic Update on June 14,
2001
http://www.shipleyenergy.com/Electric.html

Here’s a paper from the Federal Energy Regulatory Board that mentions
comments of three power entities, which Are Avista Corporation,
Pacificorp, and Puget Sound Energy about RTOs. The paper also mentions
several profit and non-profit entities.
Supplemental Comment of FERC on Wholesale Market Activities
http://128.242.83.219/Doc/FERC_CommentsDec72001_PACAVAPSE.PDF


ARTICLES/NEWS/OTHER SOURCES

Power marketing transforms US wholesale electricity business
http://www.tca-us.com/Publications/USmarketers(prepubNov98).PDF

Red Herring Article: The changing balance of power 
By Lee Bruno 
September 24, 2001
http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue103/30020203.html

Consumers Union: Telecom and Utilities
http://64.224.99.117/i/Telecom___Utilities/index.html
Home page: http://www.consumersunion.org/index.htm

Bonneville Power Administration 
http://www.bpa.gov/indexmain.shtml

United States: NorthEast Utilties Seek Singular Wholesale Market -
Transmission and Distribution World,  Aug 1, 2002 issue
http://tdworld.com/ar/power_united_states_northeast/

Austin Utilities: News in the Utility Industry From Around the USA
http://www.austinutilities.com/IndustryNews/news_7-3-02.html

News article on US electricity market from Pravda in Russia 2002 06 03
US WHOLESALE ENERGY MARKET SHRINKS 60-70%
http://english.pravda.ru/comp/2002/06/03/29607.html

Electricity Restructuring Weekly Update
http://www.eren.doe.gov/electricity_restructuring/weekly/sep13_02.html

Results of Studies Assessing High Electricity Prices in California 
United States General Accounting Office GAO-01-857 29jun01
June 2001 Energy Markets
GAO Report to Congressional Requesters
http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/FERC-GAO-01-857-29jun01.htm 

The Safe Energy Communication Council 
http://www.safeenergy.org/ 

Free-Market.net The Freedom Network - Power and Water Utilities
Introductions and FAQs
http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/brief/T11.5/

Aug. 16, 2000 news release - Power Prices Facts for Portland General
Electric
http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/news/archives/price_increase/facts_background.asp?bhcp=1


LEGAL SOURCES

Reason Public Policy Institute
http://www.rppi.org/
- Here’s a source for news and documents on public policy regarding
many issues, including the Electricity market. Policy studies are
available for pay ($5 to $15 average).

Prepared Witness Testimony
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, Chairman
http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/hearings/06222001Hearing265/Swofford437.htm
- I thought of including this as an example of a legal event in the
power industry.


MISCELLANEOUS LINKS

I thought of finding out what the top electricity companies are:
Business 2.0 - Web Guide - Power Generation Industry: Major Players
http://www.business2.com/webguide/0,1660,1233,00.html
This page also provides links to information and market data about
each company mentioned here, like the Hoover’s Capsules.

Business 2.0 Web Guide - Energy and Utilities Industry Links
http://www.business2.com/webguide/0,,246,00.html

BP Statistical Review of World energy 2002
http://www.bp.com/centres/energy2002/

Google Directory on Electricity Generation and Distribution
http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Technology/Energy/Electricity_Generation_and_Distribution/
- This directory can lead to many resources and sites about the
Electric Industry.


How I searched on Google:
united states wholesale electricity [report/customer(s)/market/
purchaser(s)/study]
wholesale electricity customer habits
united states wholesale electricity top players
(america/united states) wholesale electricity market forecast
wholesale electricity market history
world power utility statistics
america wholesale electricity/power references
(united states/america) wholesale electricity studies
US/united states wholesale power industry
united states wholesale power history

I hope this information I put up gives you what you need. If you need
more stuff, I can look for it. Thanks!

Techtor

P.S. Special thanks to asiatechnicals for his help

---

Clarification of Answer by techtor-ga on 13 Nov 2002 21:06 PST

Many thanks, Brtereit, for the extremely generous tip and rating! I am
glad to have served you what you needed. I had intended to add some
additional resources for you. There sure are a lot of them. May I
paste them anyway:

Research Guides - Electric Power Industry - Lippincott Library at
Wharton
http://www.library.upenn.edu/lippincott/pubs/ResearchGuides/RG31elpow.html

“Green Energy” By Chesley Hicks 
22 April 02 on the Gotham Gazette
http://www.gothamgazette.com/commentary/125.hicks.shtml

Search string:
world electricity utility statistics

Again, many thanks for the generous reward!

Techtor

This was one of the most difficult questions I have ever asked a
researcher in any venue.  The answer is comprehensive, and reasonably
organized for the sope involved.

Thanks for the clarification. Quite a task you put forth. Let's see
what we can find.

Techtor

Techtor,

It looks like you are having a tough time with this top-dollar
request.  I'm afraid this is the kind of query that you probably have
to know what you are looking for in order to answer. I am an energy
specialist financier, so I have a bit of a head start.  I recommend
you try these leads:


NATIONAL/FEDERAL DATA

Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA) - Your
client was right to go to the EIA.  It is the most comprehensive
source of electricity industry data.  He(she) may not, however have
looked in all the right places.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/

EIA's Regional Energy Profiles appear to be just what your client is
looking for, namely region-specific statistics and forecasts on energy
use by households, household vehicles, commercial buildings, and
manufacturing establishments.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/contents.html

EIA's Energy Consumption Page has links to more general information,
including reports, tables, and data by sector.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumption/index.html

EIA also has utility-by-utility breakdowns for each state/district.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/_states.html


REGULATOR

Federal Energy Regulatory commission (FERC) – is the most
comprehensive and authoritative source on the US deregulated (i.e.
wholesale) electricity markets.
http://www.ferc.gov/About/about.htm

Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) – is the federal
legislation that opened the electricity industry to competition in
1978 and essential background reading.
http://www.ferc.gov/informational/acts/purpa.htm

The State of the Market Report - details the status of deregulation.
http://www.ferc.gov/news/pressreleases/Perfpl_som2000.htm


PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH BODIES

Edison Electric Institute (EEI) - is a respected private sector
research organization.  It publishes a number of studies and
distributes them for free.
http://www.eei.org/
http://www.eei.org/edg/econ/products.htm

Platts - is a comprehensive global energy research organization and an
industry standard information resource.
http://www.platts.com/

RDI - is a division of Platts, the energy information and marketing
services unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.  They mostly provide maps,
but I believe they may also offer consulting services.
http://public.resdata.com/rdimaps/default.asp

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) - is a non-profit energy
research consortium.  They offer consulting services.  They have a
technical focus, but may have suitable data offline.
http://www.epri.com/


INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

National Electricity Marketers Association (NEM) - is a trade
association representing wholesale and retail marketers of energy,
telecom and financial-related products, services, information and
related technologies in the United States, Canada and the U.K.  Not to
be confused with the National Electricity Market in Australia.  I
didn't see any data there, but perhaps they could be contacted.
http://www.energymarketers.com/

American Public Power Association (APPA) - is the service organization
for the nation's more than 2,000 community-owned utilities.  Be
careful with the data, which may relate to retail, rather than
wholesale prices.
http://www.appanet.org/

National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) - is
a national organization of 42 offices of utility ratepayer advocates.
http://www.nasuca.org/

Electricity Consumers Research Council (ELCON) - is a competition
advocate.  They may have sutilable information offline.
http://www.elcon.org/


ACADEMIA

Universities and other academic institutions will no doubt be an
excellent source of unbiased data in the public domain.  They are too
numerous to search, so I recommend directing your client to an
electricity policy unit to establish contact directly.


FINAL TIPS

Try these synonymous search terms (and derivatives):
* power, electric
* wholesale, market, direct sale
* demand, consumption, load
* industry, sector, segment
* data, historical, statistic

Suppress these terms:
* -“demand management”, -“demand response”
* -crisis, -“Enron”, -manipulation
* -Australia, -England

In summary, I have provided for you the sources I would tap and some
tips on how to search for power-related sites, but have stopped short
of delivering your product.  There are still some hours of work left
and sufficient opportunity to earn your fee.

Also, I suggest that you recommend your client contact these sources
directly.  With the possible exception of the EIA, you are unlikely to
find comprehensive, authoritative and relevant historical and
projected data conveniently summarised and offered for free on the
Internet.

Regards,

"Asiatechnicals"

Very good, Asiatechnicals! Thanks for providing the links. I've gone
to some of them, like the EIA site, though I think Btereit is also
looking for how particular companies in the field act. I've gotten my
own links and sources. I've just been taking the time to pick out the
right information and organize it.

RAND documents on the E-Vision 2000 conference 
http://www.rand.org/scitech/stpi/Evision/Supplement/

The Independent Electricity Market Operator 
http://www.theimo.com/imoweb/mktOverview/mktOverview.asp

EIA - International Energy Forecasts and Analyses 
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/forecast.html#Forecasts

Electricity Consumer’s Resource Council
http://www.elcon.org/

Business 2.0 - Web Guide - Power Generation Industry: Major Players
http://www.business2.com/webguide/0,1660,1233,00.html

Wholesale Competition in the U.S. Electric Power Industry 
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/fact_sheets/wholesale.html

United States: NorthEast Utilties Seek Singular Wholesale Market -
Transmission and Distribution World,  Aug 1, 2002 issue
http://tdworld.com/ar/power_united_states_northeast/

What you've provided will help a lot. Thanks a million,
Asiatechnicals!

Techtor