We investigate the impact of growth opportunities on the financing decisions of investor-owned electric utilities in the U.S. when the electricity sector was deregulated. We find that the relationship between leverage and growth opportunities can be positive or negative, depending on the nature...

There is a sharp contrast when one compares firm leverage ratios between U.S. and British electric utilities, which have both been deregulated in the past decade. In the U.S., leverage ratios have been declining while in the U.K., they show a marked increase. To better understand the decline in...

The 2014 reform of the German Renewable Energy Act introduces a mandatory shift from a fixed feed-in tariff to a floating premium system. This is envisaged to create additional incentives for project developers, but also impacts revenues and costs for new investments in wind generation. Thus...

In setting the allowable rate of return of public utilities, U.S. regulatory agencies and the courts continue to rely on the standard discounted-cash-flow (DCF) method based on the Gordon-Miller-Modigliani model of share valuation under constant growth - a model which ignores personal taxes....

This paper analyzes the interactions between vertical integration and (wholesale) spot, forward and retail markets in risk management. We develop an equilibrium model that fits electricity markets well. We point out that vertical integration and forward hedging are two separate levers for demand...

We collect ownership data of U.S. power plants accounting for 99% of U.S. electricity generation over the 2008-2020 period. Domestic listed corporations have reduced their ownership from 69% to 54% of total generation, while private equity, institutional investors, and foreign corporations have...

The purpose of this Paper is to study the determinants of the concentration of ownership in a privatized, regulated firm. The discussion illustrates some aspects of the costs and benefits of different corporate systems. Privatized utilities are large firms with professional management: there is...

This study analyzes the interaction of agency problems in public policy and of agency problems inside the firm: it investigates the case of a large privatized firm subject to many policy constraints. The last steps of Telefonica's privatization were designed to promote a disperse ownership and...

This paper analyzes the interactions between vertical integration and (wholesale) spot, forward and retail markets in risk management. We develop an equilibrium model that fits electricity markets well. We point out that vertical integration and forward hedging are two separate levers for demand...

The 2014 reform of the German Renewable Energy Act introduces a mandatory shift from a fixed feed-in tariff to a floating premium system. This is envisaged to create additional incentives for project developers, but also impacts revenues and costs for new investments in wind generation. Thus...