Profits for utility companies range widely from country to country and region to region. In part, due to barriers to entry and other legislative restrictions on competition, both laterally and horizontally. As of the first quarter of 2022, the average 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:net profit margin in the utility sector was 9.68%. For the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:trailing 12 months (TTM), 🅷the net profit margin increased to 10.88%.

As far as other margin measures, the average gross margin increased to 66.04% in Q1 2022. The average earnings before interest, taxes, deprec𝓀ation, and amortiz🐈ation (EBTIDA) margin was 34.29%.

To gain a perspective on the range in profit margins across the sector, we can compare the most recent profit margins of two different electric utilities operating in different parts of the world. Spark Infrastructure Group and Duke Energy (DUK). Spark Infrastructureཧ Group supplies electric power and infrastructure across Australia and reported a net profit margin of 29% for 2021. In contrast, Duke Energy runs generation projects in the U.S. and Canada and ꧑had a net profit margin of 15%.

Public Utilities and the Ratemaking Process

Despite wide ranges among different countries, the utility sector experiences relatively high profit margins in the U.S. Utility companies run de facto 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:monopolies in the regions where they operate, making it difficult for competitors to move into profitable areas and apply competition for energy revenue. Part of this is due to the extremely high levels of capital investment necessary to supply energy, but most of it is from 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:local and federal government resﷺtrictions on new projects.

State governmen🌌ts in the U.S. use utility rate-making to fix the prices that utility companies can charge to customers. This also necessarily restricts utility companies’ profit margins. The legal mandate for these providers to go through the rate-making procesꦦs is another reason why utility companies tend to become natural monopolies.

Public utilities required to go thro🍸ugh the rate-making process in the U.S. typically include telecommunications providers, natural gas providers, electricity companies, and railroads.

Utility Competition

Typically, profits act as a signal to other companies or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:entrepreneurs that a valuable service is being provided above cost in a given region. This attracts competitors and, eventually, works to reduce profits and improve products. However, given regulations and high startup costs, this doesn't necessarily🌠 hold true for the utility sector.

The rate-maki🅠ng process for public utility providers has five goals:

1. Attract capital to the sector
2. Control prices
3. Incentivize efficiency in production and distribution of utilities
4. Control demand for utilities or ration them to consumers
5. Redistribute wealth from consumers to utility owners and between classes of consumers

Rate-making Formula

Traditionally, regulators use the following rate🗹-making formula to determine a utility provider’🔜s revenue needs:

R = O + (V – D)r

Where:

• R = the utility’s rate level or revenue requirement
• O = the utility company’s operating expenses
• V = the value of the utility’s intangible or tangible property
• D = the provider’s accumulated depreciation
• r = the rate of return that the utility company is allowed to receive on its capital investment

Because it allows the utility company to receive a rate of return on its capital investments, the traditional model encourages utility providers to invest m✱ore capital into their o🗹perations—the more capital the utility company and its investors put in, the bigger the returns.