The Role of Electricity Pricing Policy in Industrial Siting Decisions

Abstract

One of the many reasons why industries tend to co-locate in a general vicinity is the availability of factors of production. A manufacturer can achieve great savings if his production facility is located near his major raw material supplier. Since many intermediate industrial products are extremely energy intensive, the producer of these products must locate in areas where low cost energy resources are abundant. In many instances, therefore, the existence of these industries will serve as an anchor to other manufacturing industries. Furthermore, industry has great inertia in its locational preferences. It takes a long time to establish a patent of growth or decay. But once it is set in motion it is very difficult to change. Since the pricing policy of electricity plays a significant role in the siting decisions of energy intensive industries, it is therefore imperative for the policy makers to understand the long term impact of their policies. This paper will examine the current pricing policy of the electric utility industry in Texas.