Clear insights into critical issues

As a power or utility company, you’re operating in a world of uncertainty, changing regulatory frameworks and environmental challenges. You need to maintain a secure and reliable supply, while anticipating change.

Our Global Power & Utilities Center doesn’t just react to changing market conditions, we help shape them. We don’t just know the issues, we’ve analyzed what’s behind them to understand the impact they have on you and the way you do business.

The Center brings together a worldwide team of professionals, sharing knowledge and experience we’ve gained with power and utilities companies around the world.

You benefit from timely insights on the most pressing industry issues, from accessing fuel sources at competitive prices to navigating the complex environmental agenda. And we provide you with assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services that are tailored to your needs.

Wherever you are in the world, we support you in managing uncertainty and making the most of change.

Biofuels country attractiveness indices Q1 & Q2 2008

The Q1 and Q2 2008 edition (pdf, 416kb) includes individual scores for bioethanol, biodiesel and infrastructure, plus a combined score making up the All Biofuels Index. Brazil continues to lead the drive towards globalization of Biofuels markets by reinforcing its export capacity and opening up to foreign investment from India.

Country attractiveness indices 2008 - Q1 & Q2 2008

China displaces the UK in the top five countries in the Ernst & Young renewable energy country attractiveness indices for Q1 and Q2 2008 (pdf, 1.3mb). This is in spite of the UK's renewable energy strategy proposals which are yet to be translated into tangible benefit to the industry. The lead article discusses the impacts of the credit crunch and rising oil prices and their impact on investment in renewable energy.

Renewable energy

Our Renewable Energy Group helps clients to maximize value from renewable energy activity. Read the Renewable energy country attractiveness indices and Biofuels country attractiveness indices, as well as webcasts based on the Indices.

Utilities unbundling in Europe

A major European utility’s proposal to sell its transmission grid surprised the industry and politicians alike. Could this development fundamentally change the competitive landscape of Europe’s utilities sector? “Unbundling: moving into the fast lane” (pdf, 1.4mb) discusses the status of the unbundling discussion in Europe, consequences for Europe’s energy policy and utilities markets and outlines the proposal and potential buyers and solutions.

• Discover more in our press release
• Watch the archived webcast that took place on 3 June

How are European utilities applying IFRS?

Our review of 32 utility companies’ financial statements (pdf, 3.5mb) looks at aspects of reporting that are specific to the industry, possible trends and whether IFRS has brought greater consistency and transparency. Download the report to find out more.

Read more about IFRS.

Utilities in the credit crisis: not such a save haven?

Recent weeks have seen the devastation of the US investment banking industry, a wave of banking failures and moves by governments around the world to nationalize banks. Rescue packages world wide are running into the trillions of dollars and still counting. As a result, we are now facing an unenviable scenario of "stagflation" – high commodity costs and inflation, coupled with economic stagnation. The economy is getting squeezed from every direction.

Read in this paper (pdf, 285kb) how this will affect utilities, historically considered to be safe havens in times of trouble.

Utilities unbundled 5 - can utilities continue to shine in troubled times?

In the new issue of Ernst & Young's Global Power & Utilities Center's bi-annual magazine(pdf, 2.9mb), we look at the impact of the credit crisis on utilities, and how changes in the cost of capital, the cost of debt and the cost of energy are affecting our industry. We also examine the progress of the climate change agenda, including the financial impact of EU targets on the UK consumer, the introduction of carbon trading in Australia and the US, and the impact of the EU’s Renewables Directive on utilities’ future strategy.

A new regulatory era for utilities

How are compliance programs structured, implemented and managed? A survey of 95 US companies, including 12 utility companies, conducted by our US member firm identifies best practices and provides a benchmark for industry participants to measure against their own approaches to corporate regulatory compliance. For more information about the report, contact Jeffrey Holloman by e-mail or at +1 503 414 7947.