Electric Power Transmission, Distribution & Marketing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry own and operate high-voltage transmission lines and retail distribution systems, as well as intermediaries like energy dealers and brokers. Major companies include American Electric Power, Duke Energy, and Exelon (all based in the US), as well as EON (Germany), Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System (Russia), SSE (Scotland), State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid (both based in China), and TEPCO (Japan).

The global electricity generation has reached about 30 trillion kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity in 2021, according to Statista. The leading countries in electricity generation, consumption, and installed capacity are China, the US, India, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Brazil, according to Enerdata. Growth in the global electricity market will be primarily in African countries, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The US electric power transmission and distribution industry includes about 8,200 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $340 billion. Companies that produce electricity are covered in the Electric Power Generation industry profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

While deregulation has altered power markets in many nations, electric utilities often continue to operate as unofficial monopolies in a given service territory. Demand for electricity is driven by industrial and commercial activity and by population growth. The profitability of individual companies depends on government regulations and the efficiency of their operations. Large companies have economies of scale in purchasing ...