"It is anticipated that the incidence of multiutilities across Europe will increase substantially in the next decade with companies supplying a mix of electricity, gas,telecoms, water and waste services, as well as others such as home shopping and financial services."European Energy Utility Company to 2010Company change is often a reaction to various external factors.
In the case of European utilities, much of the restructuring that has taken place has been in response to the introduction of competition as a result of the electricityand gas directives implemented by the European Union.
Companies across the continent are changing the way they function and operate in order to better prepare themselves for the competitive environment.
These changes, or restructuring have been varied and diverse.Some companies, such as Endesa in Spain, have been forced to unbundle their operations and effectively create separate business units, such as separating generationfrom supply.
On the other hand, there are those companies that have chosen to expand their operations into different areas, resulting in the creation of a multi-utility, such as Enel Spain.
In addition, some utilities, such as Hyder in the UK, have divested certain business units in order to refocus company operations.
A more common trend in the European utility landscape has been merger and acquisition activity.
M&A activity has been frenetic all over the continent, as many see this as crucial to retaining a presence, especially in the fully liberalised markets of the Nordic region, the UK, and most recently Germany and the Netherlands.In this rapidly evolving market, you need not only up-todate information, but also reliable analysis and forecasting.European Energy Utility Company to 2010 will provide you with a level of information and analysis that isunavailable elseware.STRUCTURE AND SCOPEAs part of our commitment to excellence, Reuters Business Insight has conducted a major survey in order to identify the key trends in utility restructuring across the various EU markets.
European Energy Utility Company to 2010, will provide you with unique market insight gained from an extensive survey of Europe's leading utility executives involved in corporate planning, strategy and business development.
The survey answers your essential questions, including:
• what is the level of restructuring required and what areas of the supply chain will be most affected in order to maintain a competitive position in the liberalising EU market?
• what are the main barriers to companies restructuring their operations?
• will restructuring require the establishment of new business units or the divestment of current ones? If so, which areas specifically?
• how will restructuring affect staffing, operational costs, and market share over the next five years?
• how will restructuring be undertaken and what are the perceived benefits of changing internal company structures?
• by 2010, how will European generation, distribution and supply be structured?
• will the European utility landscape be one dominated by a smaller number of large companies resulting from M&A activity, or will there be little change from the current number in 1999?