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Cost Structures for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Power Generation

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  • Timothy J. Considine

Abstract

This paper estimates short- and long-run marginal production costs and returns to scale in electric power generation in the United States. We find substantial short-run diseconomies of scale at high output levels. A relatively large number of small and mid-sized firms have optimal capital stocks below actual levels. In contrast, several large firms have optimal capital stock targets, substantially above current levels. These disparities in actual and optimal capital' suggest a possible consolidation in the industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy J. Considine, 2000. "Cost Structures for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Power Generation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 83-104.
  • Handle: RePEc:aen:journl:2000v21-02-a04
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    Cited by:

    1. Supawat Rungsuriyawiboon & Spiro Stefanou, 2008. "The dynamics of efficiency and productivity growth in U.S. electric utilities," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 177-190, December.
    2. Bernstein, David H. & Parmeter, Christopher F., 2019. "Returns to scale in electricity generation: Replicated and revisited," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 4-15.
    3. Supawat Rungsuriyawiboon, 2004. "An Analysis of Cost Structures in the Electricity Generation Industry," CEPA Working Papers Series WP052004, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    4. Rungsuriyawiboon, Supawat & Stefanou, Spiro E., 2007. "Dynamic Efficiency Estimation: An Application to U.S. Electric Utilities," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 25, pages 226-238, April.
    5. Kumbhakar, Subal C. & Wang, Hung-Jen, 2006. "Estimation of technical and allocative inefficiency: A primal system approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 134(2), pages 419-440, October.
    6. Kemppi, Heikki & Perrels, Adriaan, 2003. "Liberalised Electricity Markets - Strengths and Weaknesses in Finland and Nordpool," Research Reports 97, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Supawat Rungsuriyawiboon & Tim Coelli, 2004. "Regulatory Reform and Economic Performance in US Electricity Generation," CEPA Working Papers Series WP062004, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    8. Tauchmann, H., 2006. "Firing the furnace? An econometric analysis of utilities' fuel choice," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(18), pages 3898-3909, December.
    9. Supawat Rungsuriyawiboon & Chris O'Donnell, 2004. "Curvature-Constrained Estimates of Technical Efficiency and Returns to Scale for U.S. Electric Utilities," CEPA Working Papers Series WP072004, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    10. Verde, Stefano, 2008. "Everybody merges with somebody--The wave of M&As in the energy industry and the EU merger policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 1125-1133, March.
    11. Tim Coelli & Gholamreza Hajargasht & C.A. Knox Lovell, 2008. "Econometric Estimation of an Input Distance Function in a System of Equations," CEPA Working Papers Series WP012008, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    12. Supawat Rungsuriyawiboon, 2004. "A Dynamic Approach to Estimate the Efficiency of U.S. Electric Utilities," Econometric Society 2004 Australasian Meetings 91, Econometric Society.
    13. Ajayi, Victor & Weyman-Jones, Thomas & Glass, Anthony, 2017. "Cost efficiency and electricity market structure: A case study of OECD countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 283-291.
    14. Harald Tauchmann, 2004. "Firing the Furnace? – An Econometric Analysis of Utilities’ Fuel Choice," RWI Discussion Papers 0017, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung.
    15. Spierdijk, Laura & Shaffer, Sherrill & Considine, Tim, 2017. "How do banks adjust to changing input prices? A dynamic analysis of U.S. commercial banks before and after the crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1-14.
    16. Bernstein, David H., 2020. "An updated assessment of technical efficiency and returns to scale for U.S. electric power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    17. Walheer, Barnabé, 2018. "Scale efficiency for multi-output cost minimizing producers: The case of the US electricity plants," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 26-36.
    18. Harald Tauchmann, 2005. "Co2 Abatement and Fuel Mix in German Electric Power Generation — Is the “Ecological Electricity Tax†Ecologically Effective?," Energy & Environment, , vol. 16(2), pages 255-271, March.
    19. repec:zbw:rwidps:0017 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Amedeo Argentiero, Tarek Atalla, Simona Bigerna, Silvia Micheli, and Paolo Polinori, 2017. "Comparing Renewable Energy Policies in EU-15, U.S. and China: A Bayesian DSGE Model," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(KAPSARC S).
    21. Evgenii Monastyrenko, 2016. "Cross-Border M&As and Eco-Environmental Performance of European Energy Utilities," FIW Working Paper series 169, FIW.
    22. Frank Beckenbach & Maria Daskalakis & David Hofmann, 2018. "Agent-Based Analysis of Industrial Dynamics and Paths of Environmental Policy: The Case of Non-renewable Energy Production in Germany," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 52(3), pages 953-994, October.

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    JEL classification:

    • F0 - International Economics - - General

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