Winning acceptance for dynamic pricing: what utilities must do to succeed

The benefits created by smart metering are considerable, particularly dynamic pricing. Yet the most important element of smart metering - the customer - is little understood and is at risk of being overlooked. Utilities must soon introduce smart metering and the notion of variable pricing to their domestic clients.

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What to expect when the Czech Republic assumes the EU presidency

In less than eight weeks time the Czech Republic will assume the rotating EU presidency, replacing France. Six months after that, the position will shift again to Sweden. Whereas the French and Swedish objectives relating to environment and energy respectively are quite ambitious, the Czech presidency will have limited aspirations.

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Vattenfall: nuclear question impairs Swedish liberalization

Vattenfall, the Swedish government-owned energy company, has signed a 10-year power supply agreement with Holmen Group, a huge Swedish paper manufacturer. This deal is interesting, not only because of its size and timescale, but also how this align with the future uncertainty about the Swedish nuclear power sector.

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Vattenfall: going Dutch for 'super league' dreams

In line with its European expansion plans, Sweden's Vattenfall looks set to add the Netherlands to its growing presence outside its core Nordic market and to beef up its existing assets in Germany and Poland, according to Platts Commodity News. However, the company needs to remember that different markets require different entry strategies.

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Vattenfall: a likely super-league star

Having been expanding outside of its core Nordic market for several years now, Vattenfall wants to take its expansion strategy to the next level. With a target market share of 10% in Europe as a whole, the Swedish energy giant wants to become one of the key players in the region's emerging utility super-league and is well placed to realize its plans.

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Vattenfall Europe: where next for growth?

Plans by German electricity grid owners Vattenfall, RWE [RWE.F] and EnBW [EBK.F] for price hikes of over 20% have prompted an investigation by the cartel office. Vattenfall is also currently exiting the Dutch power supply market. Taken together, these developments raise several questions over Vattenfall's current European positioning.

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Utility challenges: effective billing is crucial to cost-to-serve base

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Utilities won't give up profitable networks without a fight

The EU's third round of reforms have hit a little too close to home for some vertically integrated utilities, particularly with its plans to enforce network unbundling. Indeed, with the average operating margin for a network's business unit at 34%, compared to 11% for utilities overall, it is not surprising that some utilities are not keen to relinquish this stable money earner.

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Utilities in the eurozone: thinking through the unthinkable

Confidence in European sovereign-debt markets is falling rapidly, and speculation is increasing about the potential disintegration of the eurozone. Assessing what impact this might have on Europe's energy market presents a challenge due to the vast array of possible outcomes, and there is little evidence that utilities have contingency planning in place.

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US power grid: UK firms look to plug the investment gap

Over $100 billion of investment is needed to prevent another blackout like the one that affected 50 million US citizens last Thursday. UK firms with a stake in the US transmission system have looked to increase their levels of investment, potentially capitalizing on the opportunity of higher returns.

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