SV/P3YO Electric Power Pricing Policy Worild Bank Staff Working Paper No. 340 July 1979 Prepared by; Mohan Munasinghe Energy, Water and Telecommrunications Department Central Projects Staff Copyright © 1979 The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. The views and interpretations in this document are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to any individual acting in their behalf. The -diews and interpretations in this document are those of the author and shiould not be attributed to the World Bank, to its affiliated orga- nizations or to any individual acting in their behalf. WORLD BANK Staff Working Paper No. 340 July 1979 ELECTRIC POWER PRICING POLICY* This paper presents a framework for electric power pricing which is especially appropriate to the developing countries. It contains a review of the basic theory of marginal cost pricing applicable to the power sector, and a summary of the current state-of-the-art. The adaptation of the theory for practical application in relation to the objectives of power pricing policy in the LDC context, results in a two stage procedure for tariff setting. First, a set of prices based on the strict long-run marginal costs (LFMC) of supply which meet the economic efficiency criterion are computed. Second, the strict LRMC is adjusted to arrive at an appropriate realistic tariff structure which satisfies various constraints. Explicit models are presented which permit modifications to be made to the strict LRMC on the basis of: (a) economic-second best considerations (especially with regard to the pricing of substitute fuels), and (b) social considerations relating to subsidized prices for poor consumers. The tailoring of tariff policy to meet sector financial needs and other requirements such as simplicity of metering and billing are also discussed. Prepared by: Mohan Munasinghe Energy, Water and Telecommunications Department Central Projects Staff Copyright Q1979 The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. * Paper presented at the LDC Energy Management Training Seminar, State University of New York-Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook, New York, November 1978. The author is grateful to Denis Anderson and Fred McCoy for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. A. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW ..... . ............................. 1 A.1 Requirements of a Power Tariff.. 2 A.2 Long Run Marginal Cost (LRMC) Based Tariffs ............ 3 A.3 Practical Tariff Setting .............................. 5 A.4 Summary ...i........... . 7 B. ECONOMICS OF MARGINAL COST PRICING ........................ 9 B.1 Basic Marginal Cost Theory ........ . 10 B.2 Capital Indivisibilities and Peak Load Pricing .13 B.3 Extensions of Simple Models ....... 15 B.4 Shadow Pricing . ...... . ............ . ...... . ....... 18 C. CALCULATING STRICT LRMC ................... o ......... 25 C.1 Cost Categories and Rating Periods ..26 C.2 Marginal Capacity Costs .. .... ..... o. ... .27 C.3 Marginal Energy Costs .. . .. ... ... . .. 32 C.4 Consumer Costs .3................ ... 33 D. ADJUSTED LRMC TARIFF STRUCTURE ........34 D.1 Second Best Considerations ..35 D.2 Subsidized or Lifeline Rates . .37 D.3 Financial Viability ............ o....... * .................... 39 D .4 Other Considerations . .40 D.5 Metering and Billing .o ...... ...... 41 Appendix 1. ALLOCATION OF CAPACITY AND ENERGY COSTS AMONG PEAK AND OFF-PEAK USERS Appendix 2. MODEL FOR OPTIMAL ELECTRICITY PRICING IN A DISTORTED ECONOMY Ref erences ELECTRIC POWER PRICING by MOHAN MUNASINGHE Section A Introduction and Overview 1/ Modern societies have become increasingly dependent on various types of energy sources, among which electric power has occupied a dominant position. Traditionally, electric power pricing policy in most countries has been determined mainly on the basis of financial or accounting criteria, e.g.,, raising sufficient sales revenues to meet operating expenses and debt service requirements while providing a reasonable contribution towards the capital required for future power system expansion. However, in recent times several new factors have arisen, including the rapid growth of demand, the increase in fuel oil prices and prices of fossil fuel and nuclear plant, the dwindling availability of cheaply exploit- able hydro-electric resources, and the expansion of power systems into areas of loDwer consumer density at relatively high unit costs. These developments have led to increasing emphasis being laid on the use of economic principles in order to produce and consume electric power efficiently, while conserving scarce resources, especially in the developing country context. In partic- ular, a great deal of attention has been paid to the use of marginal cost pricing policies in the electric power sector. 1/ This section summarizes basic pricing policy principles developed in the EWT Department over the last 6 years, through a program of applied research work and country case studies. The objectives of power tariff policy in the national context, and a pricing framework based on long run marginal costs (LRMC) which meets these requirements, are summarized in this section. In Section B, the economic principles underlying the LRMC approach are described, and in Section C, a framework for calculating strict LRMC is presented. Finally, the process of adjusting LRMC to devise a practical tariff structure which meets other national constraints is discussed in Section D, followed by several technical appendices. A.1 Requirements of a Power Tariff The modern approach to power pricing recognizes the existence of several objectives or criteria, not all of which are mutually consistent. First, national economic resources must be allocated efficiently, not only among different sectors of the economy, but within the electric power sector itself. This implies that cost-reflecting prices must be used to indicate to the electricity consumers the true econLomic costs of supplying their specific needs, so that supply and demand can be matched efficiently. Second, certain principles relating to fairness and equity must be satisfied, including: (a) the fair allocation of costs among consumers according to the burdens they impose on the system; (b) the ensuring of a reasonable degree of price stability and avoiding large fluctuations in price from year to year; and (c) the provision of a minimum level of service to persons who may not be able to afford the full cost. Third, the power prices should raise sufficient revenues to meet the financial requirements of the sector, as described earlier. Fourth, the power tariff structure must be simple enough to facilitate the metering and - 3 - billing of customers. Fifth and finally, other economic and political requirements must also be considered, e.g., subsidized electricity supply to certain sectors to enhance growth, or to certain geographic areas for pur- poses of regional development. Since the above criteria are often in conflict with one another, it is necessary to accept certain trade-offs between them. The LRMC approach to price setting described below has both the analytical rigor and inherent flexibility to provide a tariff structure which is responsive to these basic objectives. A.2 Long Run Marginal Costs (LRMC) Based Tariffs A tariff based on LRMC is consistent with the first objective, i.e., the efficient allocation of resources. The traditional accounting approach is concerned with the recovery of sunk costs, whereas in the LRMC calculation it is the amount of future resources used or saved by consumer decisions which is important. Since prices are the amounts paid for increments of consumption, in general they should reflect the incremental cost thereby incurred. Supply costs increase if existing consumers increase their demand or if new consumers are connected to the system. Therefore, prices which act as a signal to consumers should be related to the economic value of resources to be used in the future, to meet such consumption changes. The accounting approach which uses historical assets and embedded costs implies that future economic re- sources will be as cheap or as expensive as in the past. This could lead to over-investment and waste, or under-investment and the additional costs of unnecessary scarcity. -4- In order to promote better utilization of capacity, and to avoid unnecessary investments to meet peak demands (which tend to grow very rapidly), the LRMC approach permits the structuring of prices so that they vary according to the marginal costs of serving demands: - by different consumer categories; - in different seasons; - at different hours of the day; - by different voltage levels; - in different geographical areas; and so on. In particular, with an appropriate choice of the peak period, struc- turing the LRMC based tariffs by time-of-day generally leads to the conclusion that peak consumers should pay both capacity and energy costs, whereas off- peak consumers need to pay only the energy costs. Similarly, analysis of LRMC by voltage level usually indicates that the lower the service voltage, the greater the costs imposed on the system by consumers. The structuring of LRMC based tariffs also meets sub-categories (a) and (b) of the second (or fairness) objective. The economic resource costs of future consumption are allocated as far as possible among the customers according to the incremental costs they impose on the power system. In the traditional approach, fairness was often defined rather narrowly and led to the allocation of (arbitrary) accounting costs to various consumers. Because the LRMC method deals with future costs over a long period, e.g., about 10 years, the resulting prices (in constant terms) tend to be quite stable over time. This smoothing out of costs over a long period is especially important because of capital indivisibilities or lumpiness of power system investments. -5- The use of economic opportunity costs (or shadow prices, especially for capital, labor, and fuel) instead of purely financial costs, and the consideration of externalities whenever possible, also underline the links between the LRMC method and efficient resource allocation. The development of LRMC based tariff structures which also meet the other objectives of pricing policy mentioned earlier, are discussed below. A.3 Practical Tariff Setting The first stage of the LRMC approach is the calculation of pure or strict LRMC which reflect the economic efficiency criterion. If price was set strictly equal to LRMC, consmers could indicate their willingness-to-pay for more consumption, thus signalling the justification of further investment to expand capacity. In the second stage of tariff setting, ways are sought in which the strict LRMC may be adjusted to meet the other objectives, among which the most important one is the financial requirement. If prices were set equal to strict LRMC, it is likely that there will be a financi4l surplus. This is because marginal costs tend to be higher than average costs, during a period when the unit costs of supply are increasing. In principle, financial surpluses of the utility may be taxed away by the state, but in practice the use of power pricing as a tool for raising central government revenues is usually politically unpopular and rarely applied. However, such surplus revenues can also be disposed of in a manner which is consistent with the other objectives. For example, the connection charges can be subsidized without violating the LRMC price, or low income consumers could be provided with a subsidized block of electricity to meet their basic requirement, thus satisfying socio-political objectives. Conversely, if as in some cases, - 6 - marginal costs are below average costs (e.g., due to economies of scale), then pricing at the strict LRMC will lead to a financial deficit, which will have to be made up,for example, by higher lump sum connection charges, flat rate charges, or even government subsidies. Another reason for deviating from the strict LRMC arises because of second-best considerations. When prices elsewhere in the economy do not reflect marginal costs, especially in the case of substitutes and complements for electric power, then departures from the strict marginal cost pricing rule for electricity services would be justified. For example, in rural areas alternative energy may be available cheaply in the form of subsidized kerosene and/or firewood. In this case, pricing electricity below the LRMC may be justified, to prevent excessive use of the alternative forms of energy. Similarly, if incentives are provided for the importation of private gener- ators, while their fuel is also subsidized, then charging the full marginal cost to industrial consumers may encourage them to purchase captive power plant, which is economically less efficient from the national viewpoint. Since the computation of strict LRMC is based on the power utilities' least cost expansion program, LRMC may also need to be modified by short term con- siderations if previously unforeseen events render the long run system plan sub-optimal in the short run. Typical examples include a sudden reduction in demand growth and a large excess of installed capacity which may justify somewhat reduced capacity charges, or a rapid increase in fuel prices, which could warrant a short term fuel surcharge. As discussed earlier, the LRMC approach permits a high degree of tariff structuring. However, data constraints and the objective of simpli- fying metering and billing procedure usually requires that there should be a practical limit to differentiation of tariffs by: (a) major customer cate- gories (e.g., residential, industrial, commercial, special, rural etc.); (b) voltage levels (e.g., high, medium and low); (c) time-of-day (e.g., peak, off.-take); (d) geographic region, etc. Finally, various other constraints also may be incorporated into the LRMC based tariff, such as the political requirement of having a uniform national tariff, subsidizing rural electrifi- cation, and so on. However, in each case, such deviations from LRMC will impose an efficiency cost on the economy. A.4 Summary To summarize, in the first stage of calculating LRMC, the economic (first best) efficiency objectives of tariff setting are satisfied, because the method of calculation is based on future economic resource costs (rather than sunk costs), and also incorporates economic considerations such as shadow prices and externalities. The structuring of marginal costs permits an effi- cient and fair allocation of the tariff burden on consumers. In the second stage of developing a LRMC based tariff, deviations from strict LRMC are considered, to meet important financial and other social, economic (second- best) and political criteria. This second step of adjusting strict LRMC is generally as important as the first stage calculation, especially in the developing country context. The LRMC approach provides an explicit framework for analyzing system costs and setting tariffs. If departures from the strict LRMC are required for non-economic reasons, then the economic efficiency cost of these deviations may be estimated even on a rough basis, by comparing the impact of the modified tariff relative to (benchmark) strict LRMC. Furthermore -8- since the cost structure may be studied in consideral e detail during the LRMC calculations, this analysis helps to pinpoint w aknesses and ineffi- ciencies in the various parts of the power system, e.g., overinvestment, unbalanced investment, or excessive losses, at the generation, transmission and distribution levels, in different geographic areas, and so on. This aspect is particularly useful in improving system expansion planning. Finally, any LRMC based tariff is a compromise between many dif- ferent objectives. Therefore, there is no "ideal" tariff. By using the LRMC approach, it is possible to revise and improve the tariff on a consistent and ongoing basis, and thereby approach the optimum price over a period of several years, without subjecting long-standing consumers to "unfair" shocks, in the form of large abrupt price changes. - 9 - Section B Economics of Marginal Cost Pricing The origins of m,rginal cost pricing theory date back as far as the path,breakiag efforts of Dupuit and subsequently Hotelling; Ruggles provides a comprehensive review of work in this area up to the 1940's. 1/ The devel- opment of the theory, especially for application in the electric power sector, received a strong impetus from the work of Boiteux, Steiner, and others, from the 1950's onwards. 2/ Recernt work has led to more sophisticated investment models which permit determination of marginal costs, developments in peak load pricing, consideration of the effects of uncertainty and the costs of power shortages, and so on. 3/ 1/ P. Dupuit, "De l'Utilite et de sa Mesure," La Reforma Soziale, Turin, (1932); H. Hotelling, "The General Welfare in Relation to Problems of Railway and Utility Rates," Econometrica, vol. 6 (July 1938), pp. 242- 269; and N. Ruggles, "The Welfare Basis of the Marginal Cost Pricing Principle," Review of Economic Studies, vol. 17 (1949-50), pp. 29-46, and "Recent Developments [n the Theory of Marginal Cost Pricing," ibid., pp. 107-126. 2/ See for example: M. Boiteux, "La Tarification des Demandes en Pointe," Revue Generale de l'E'aectricite, vol. 58, (1949), P. Steiner, "Peak Loads and Efficient Pricing," Quarterly Journal of Economics (November 1957); M. Boiteux and P. Stasi, "The Determination of Costs of Expansion of an Incerconnected Systeai of Production and Distribution of Electricity," in James Nelson, Ed., tlarginal Cost Pricing in Practice, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. (1964); O.E. Williamson, "Peak Load Pricing and Optimal Capacity under Indivisibility Constraints," The American Economic Review, vol. 56, No. 4 (September 1966), pp. 810-827; and R. Turvey, Optimal Pricing and Investment in Electricity Supply, Cambridge M.I.T. Press (1968). 3/ See for example: Symposium on Peak Load Pricing, in The Bell Journal of Economics, vol. 7 (Spring 1976), pp. 197-250; R. Turvey and D. Anderson, Electricity Economnics, Johns Hopkins (1977), M.A. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, "Reliability and Public Utility Pricing," American Economic Review, vol. 68 (March 1978); R. Sherman and M. Visscher, "Second Best Pricing with Stochastic Demand," ibid.; Marginal Costing and Pricing of Electrical Energy, Proceedings of the State of the Art Conference, Canadian Elec- trical Association, Montreal (May 1978); and M. Munasinghe, Economics of Power Syste' Reliability and Planning, Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore (1979). - 10 - This section consists of a review of the basic economic principles of marginal cost pricing and a summary of the current state-of-the-art. Further details of the theory may be found in the references given earlier. B.1 Basic Marginal Cost Theory The rationale for setting price equal to marginal cost may be clarified with the simple supply-demand diagram shown in Figure B.1. Let EFGD0 be the demand curve (which determines the kWh of electricity demanded per year, at any given average price level), while AGS is the supply curve (represented by the marginal cost MC of supplying additional units of output). At the price p, and demand Q, the total benefit of consumption is represented by the consumers willingness-to-pay, i.e., the area under the demand curve OEFJ. The cost of supplying the output is the area under supply curve OAHJ. Therefore, the net benefit,,or total benefit minus supply cost, is given by the area AEFH. Clearly, the maximum net benefit AEG is achieved when price is set equal to marginal cost at the optimum market clearing point G, i.e., (Po,Q0). In mathematical terms, the net benefit is given by: NV 13 fpJ jNI MC(d. 0 Where p(Q) and MC(Q) are the equations of the demand and supply curves respec- tively maximizing NB yields: i (NM) /d Q :b (Q) - M C (4) 0 which is the point of intersection of the demand and marginal cost curves (Po9Q0). The analysis so far has been static, and therefore we now consider the dynamic effect of growth of demand from year 0 to year 1, which leads to an outward shift in the demand curve from D to D . Assuming that the correct o 1 - 11 - market clearing price p was prevailing in year 0, excess demand equal to GK wil:L occur in year 1. Ideally, the supply should be increased to Q1 and the new optimum market clearing price established at p1. However, the available information concerning the demand curve D may be incomplete, making it diffi- 1 cull: to locate the point L. Fortunately, the technical relationships underlying the production function usually permit the marginal cost curve to be determined more accu- rately. Therefore, as a first step, the supply may be increased to an inter- mediate level Q', at the price p'. Observation of the excess demand MN indi- cates that both the supply and the marginal cost price should be further increased. Conversely, if we overshoot L and end up in a situation of excess supply, then it may be necessary to wait until the growth of demand catches up with the over-capacity. In this iterative manner, it is possible to move along the marginal cost curve towards the optimum market clearing point. It should be noted that, as we approach it, the optimum is also shifting with demand growth, and therefore we may never hit this moving target. However, the basic rule of setting price equal to the marginal cost and expanding supply until the market clears, is still valid. 1/ 1/ This simple rule has to be modified when there are constraints in the economy; in particular, the consequences of shadow pricing of inputs, second best considerations, and subsidized social prices for poor consumers, are clarified in Appendix 2. uvt~~~~~~~~~t I Untt Price N~~~~~~~~~~~N I I :.t\ D o QO QQ kWh Figure B.1. Supply and Demand Diagram for Electricity Consumption Prit 3 Po ___D Figure B.2. The Effect of Capital Indivisibilities on Price - 13 - B.2 Capital Indivisibilities and Peak Load Pricing Next, the effect of capital indivisibilities or lumpiness of invest- ments, is examined with the help of Figure B.2. This analysis recognizes the fact that,owing to economies of scale, capacity additions to power systems (especially generation) tend to be large and long-lived. Suppose that in year 0, the maximum supply capacity is Q, while the optimum price and output combination (p , Q ) prevails, corresponding to the demand curve D and the short run marginal cost curve SRMC (e.g., fuel, operating and maintenance costs). Now if capacity is to be increased from Q to Q, there will be a sharp spike in the marginal cost curve. As demand grows from D to D1 over time, the price must be increased to p1 to clear the market. When the demand curve has shifted to D2 and the price is p2, plant is added on to increase the capacity to Q. However, as soon as the capacity increment is completed and becomes a sunk cost, SRMC falls to its old trend line. Therefore, p3 is the optimum price corresponding to demand D3. Generally, the large price fluctuations during this process will be unacceptable to consumers. This practical problem may be avoided by adopting a long run marginal cost (LRMC) approach, and recognizing the need for peak load pricing, as described below. The basic peak load pricing model shown in Figure B.3 has two demand curves; for example,D k could represent the peak demand during the x daylight and evening hours of the day when electric loads are large, while D would op irLdicate the off-peak demand during the remaining (24-x) hours when loads are light. The marginal cost curve is simplified assuming a single type of plant with the fuel, operating and maintenance costs given by the constant a, and -14- LU;t PoIQt < MCB . 1/ 1/ A simple numerical example will illustrate this point. Suppose that based on the world import price for high speed diesel fuel and the running costs of peaking gas turbines, the border priced LRMC of peak period energy is MCB = Pesos 1.6 per kWh, i.e., USJ8 per kWh times the official exchange rate (OER) of Pesos 20 per US$. Let the appropriate shadow exchange rate (SER) which reflects the average level of import duties and export subsidies (e.g., FTER) be Pesos 25 per US$. There- fore SCF = OER/SER = 0.8 and the optimal market price for peak period energy: pe* = 1.6/0.8 = Pesos 2 per kWh. - 25 - Section C Calculating Strict LRMC Strict LRMC may be defined broadly as the incremental cost of cptimum adjustments in the system expansion plan and system operations attributable to an incremental demand increase which is sustained into the future. 1/ However, LRMC must be evaluated within a disaggregated frame- work. This structuring of LRMC is based chiefly on technical grounds and may include: differentiation of marginal costs by time of day, voltage level, geographic area, season of the year, and so on. The degree of structuring ancl sophis-ication of the LRMC calculation depends on data constraints and the useftul.ess of the results, given the practical problems of computing and applying a complex tariff; e.g., in theory, the LRMC of each individual cornsumer at each moment of time, may be estimated. The calculation of strict LRMC is discussed below, 4,tih the struc- turing framework limited to one which is of operational val,e I4 a typical developing country. Points at which the computation may be pMrsued at a more sophisticated level are indicated in the text. The methoaciogy u. computing 1/ The word increment is used to convey the concept of a small but dis-rete lump of costs or demand, since the term marginal is often itlterpreted in the strictly mathematical sense, with reference to ,n iMfinitesimal change. In the present context, both words may be used interchangeably, tq d-enote a discrete change. - 26 - LRMC is summarized but no attempt has been made to present a complete case study, because of space limitations. 1/ C.1 Cost Categories and Rating Periods Three broad categories of marginal costs may be identified for purposes of the LRMC calculations: capacity costs, energy costs and con- sumer costs. Marginal capacity costs are basically the investment costs of generation, transmission and distribution facilities associated with supplying additional kW. Marginal energy costs are the fuel and operating costs of providing additional kWh. Marginal customer costs are the incremental costs directly attributable to consumers including costs of hook-up, metering and billing. Wherever appropriate, these elements of LRMC must be structured by time of day, voltage level and so on, as mentioned earlier. The first step in structuring is the selection of appropriate rating periods. By examining the system load duration curves, it is possible to determine periods during which demand presses on capacity, e.g., at a partic- ular time of day, or in a given season of the year. To clarify the following presentation, we make the simplifying assumptions that the system under study does not exhibit marked seasonability of demand (or supply, where hydro gen- eration is involved), and that these are only two rating periods by time-of- 1/ Several recent case studies are available, involving LRMC calculations in a variety of situations including: R. Turvey and D. Anderson, Electricity Economics, op.cit.; C. J. Cicchetti, W. J. Gillen and P. Smolensky, The Marginal Cost and Pricing of Electricity, Ballinger Publishing Co., Cambridge, Mass. (1977), and M. Munasinghe, "Marginal Cost Based Tariff Calculations in Developing Countries," EWT Dept. Report, World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1979). - 27 - day, i.e., peak and off-peak. 1/ Other aspects of structuring will be intro- duced later during the analysis. C.2 Marginal Capacity Costs Consider Figure C.1 which shows the typical annual load duration curve (LDC) for the system ABEF in the starting year 0, as well as the two rating periods: peak and off-peak. As demand grows over time, the LDC increases in magnitude, and the resultant forecast of peak demand is given by the curve D in Figure C.2, starting from the initial value MW . The LRMC of capacity may be determined by asking the following question: what is the change in system capacity costs AC associated with a sustained increment AD in the long run peak demand (as shown by the shaded area of Figure C.1 and the broken line D + AD in Figure C.2). Consequently, the LRMC of generation would be ( ' C), where the increment of demand AD is marginal both in time, and in terms of MW. 2/ 1/ If the duration of the peak period is defined too narrowly, peak-load pricing is more likely to cause a shift in the peak to the off-peak period (see also sub-section B.3). For a review of the application and results of peak load pricing policies in European countries, see: B. M. Mitchell, W. G. Manning, Jr., and J. P. Acton, Peak Load Pricing, Balliner Publ. Co., Cambridge, Mass. (1978). Some very recent results of time-of-day pricing studies in the U.S. are given in: A. K. Miedama, S. B. White, C. A. Clayton and D. P. Lifson, "Analysis of Experimental Time of Use Electricity Prices," Tenth Annual Conference on Current Issues in Public Utility Regulation, Williamsburg, Va. (December 1978), Research Triangle Institute, North Carolina. 2/ In theory, AD can be either positive or negative, and generally the ratio ( AC/ AD) will vary with the sign as well as the magnitude of AD. If many such values of ( AC/ AD) are computed, it is possible to average them to obtain LRMC. However, the easiest procedure would be to consider only a single representative positive increment of demand. - 28 - In an optimally planned system, the change in the expansion program to meet the new incremental load wouJ.d normally consist of advancing the commissioning date of future plant or inserting new units such as gas turbines or peaking hydro plant (see Figure C.2). If system planning is carried out using a computerized model, it is relatively easy to determine the change in capacity costs AC by simulating the expansion path and system operation, with and without the demand increment AD. 1/ Even if such a computer model is unavailable, it is usually possible to use simple considerations to derive marginal capacity costs. For example, suppose gas turbines are used for peaking; then the required LRMC of generating capacity (LRMC n C ) is the cost of advancing 1 kW of gas turbines, which may be estimated in terms of the cost per kW installed, annuitized over the expected lifetime. This figure must be adjusted for the reserve margin (RM%) and losses due to station use (L %). Thus, a typical expression would be: LRMC4ve C&~. = { A05tP A} . (I + RM/IIo)|(I - L/O/ioO) In our simple model, all capacity costs are to be charged.to peak period consumers. 2/ Therefore, if the capacity costs of base load generating units are to be included in the calculations,it is very important to net out potential fuel savings due to displacement of less efficient plant by these 1/ If a more sophisticated tariff structure having more rating periods is used, then the LRMC in any rating period may be estimated by simulating the computerized system expansion model with a sustained load increment added to the LDC during that period, i.e., just as in the case of the peak period analysis. 2/ As discussed in Section B.3, if expected outage costs are significant in a rating period outside the peak period, then it is possible to allocate marginal capacity costs over several rating periods. A -2- I / plours AtZ~~~~~~~~(wrs ^ : - 2~~Of- Pea Figurf! C.I1. Typical Annual Load l)uration Curve (LDC) ,3-mk i I anned I Fu I /~~/ li!I.I Figure 0 .1. Typicalt Annueal Loadr DuratindCre C =~ . .- - 30 - new base load units. 1/ The rationale underlying this conclusion is clarified in Appendix 1, using a simplified system model. Next, the LRMC of transmission and distribution (T&D) are calcu- lated. Generally, all T&D investment costs are allocated to incremental capacity, because the designs of these facilities are determined principally by the peak kW that they carry rather than the kWh. 2/ The concept of struc- turing by voltage level may be introduced at this stage. Consider three supply voltage categories: high, medium and low (HV, MV, LV). Consumers at each voltage level are charged only upstream costs. Therefore, capacity costs at each supply voltage must be identified. For example, assume that data is available on the investment costs associated with extra high voltage (EHV) and the HV transmission facilities. Next, the average incremental costs 3/ (AIC) of EHV and HV transmission could 1/ From a practical point of view, it is clear that if peak consumers are incorrectly charged the high capacity costs of expensive base load units (e.g., nuclear), then it may encourage them to install their own captive gas turbine plant. Even intuitively, such a pricing policy would not appear to be very sensible. 2/ Particularly at the distribution level, the size of a given feeder may depend on local peak demand which may not occur within the system peak period. This complicates the problem of allocating distribution capacity costs among the various rating periods (see for example, M. Boiteux and P. Stasi, op. cit.) 3/ Suppose that in year i, AMWi and I are the increase in demand served (relative to the previous year), anA the investment cost respectively. Then, the AIC of capacity is given by: AIC -L'Z le/(t-r)' 'AN/ci : o ee/ r)LI where r is the discount rate (e.g, the opportunity cost of capital) and T is the planning horizon (e.g., > 10 years). We note that in the AIC method the actual additional increments of demand are considered as they occur, rather than the hypothetical fixed demand increment AD used (more rigorously) in calculating generation LRMC. However, because there is no problem of plant mix with T&D investments, AIC andthe hypothetical incre- ment method will yield similar results, while AIC is usually much easier to calculate using rapidly available planning data. For a more detailed description of AIC, see: R.J. Saunders, J.J. Warford and P.C. Mann, "Alternative Concepts of Marginal Cost Pricing for Public Utility Pricing: Problems and Applications in the Water Supply Sector", Staff Working Paper No, 259, World Bank, Washington D. C. (May 1977). - 31 - be computed, and annuitized (using the discount rate) over the lifetime of the plant (e.g., 30 years) to provide an estimate of this element of marginal costs ( &LRMC HV). Then, the total LRMC of capacity during the peak period, at the HV level would be: LRMC = LRMC /(1-L /100) + IALRMC HV Cap. Gen. Cap. HV HV where LHV % is the percentage of incoming peak power that is lost in EHV and and HV network. This procedure may be repeated at the MV and LV levels. Thus the LRMC of capacity to medium voltage consumers is given by: LRMV Cap. LRMCHV Cap /(1-L mv/100) + ALRMCMV where ALRMCmv is the element of incremental MV capacity costs (e.g., AIC of distribution substations and primary feeders), L mv% is the percentage of in- coming peak power that is lost at the MV level. The LRMC of T&D calculated in this way is based on actual growth of future demand, and averaged over many consumers. However, some exceptions should be noted. First certain transmission li es may be specifically asso- ciated with particular generating sites (e.g., remote hydro), and therefore could be considered a generation cost rather than a transmission cost. Second, some transmission may be associated with specific loads, and there- fore the costs of such facilities should be allocated accordingly. For example, suppose that a particular system has two geographically distinct load areas: a central area consisting of a group of cities, and a remote area which is predominantly rural. Then the concept of a generation power pool can be used to calculate a common generating cost for serving both areas, but different transmission costs may be determined for each area by allocating - 32 - the costs of transmission links appropriately. Third, it may be possible to identify facilities which are specific to certain consumers, and these could be allocated to consumer costs; e.g., a special sub-transmission link and substation for a large industry. This last point is also important in dividing the distribution costs between LV and consumer costs; e.g., a given customer may have a very long service drop line which should be specifically allocated to this user, rather than being included in the LV AIC calculation. C.3 Marginal Energy Costs With reference to Figure C.1, it may be deduced that LRMC qf energy during the peak period will be the running costs of the machines to be used last in the merit order, to meet the incremental peak kWh represented by D. In our simple model, this would be the fuel and operating costs of gas tur- bines. These costs have to be adjusted by the appropriate peak loss factors at each voltage level, as in the case of marginal capacity costs. Similarly, the LRMC of off-peak energy corresponding to a load increment during the off-peak period would usually be the running costs of the least efficient base load or cycling plant used during this period. 1/ We note that the loss factors for adjusting off-peak costs will be smaller than the peak period loss factors; resistive losses are a function of the square of the current, and current flows are greatest during the peak period. 2/ 1/ Exceptions to this generalization would occur when the marginal plant used during a rating period was not necessarily the least efficient machine that could have been used. For example, less efficient plants which have long start-up times and are required in the next rating period, may be operated ealier in the loading order than more efficient plant. This would correspond to minimization of operating costs over several rating periods rather than on an hourly basis. 2/ See for example: C. J. Cicchetti, W. J. Gillen and P. Smolensky, op. cit. - 33 - Some complications arise particularly in the case of all-hydro and mixed hydro-thermal systems. First, a predominantly hydro system may be energy constrained, i.e., it may be short of reservoir storage rather than generating capacity. Thus all incremental capacity is needed primarily to generate more energy because the energy shortage precedes the capacity con- straint. In this case, the distinction between peak and off-peak costs, and between capacity and energy costs, tends to blur. Because hydro energy consumed during any period (except when spilling) usually leads to an equi- valent drawdown of the reservoirs, it may be sufficient only to levy a simple kWh chage at all times, e.g., by applying the AIC method of total incremental system costs. Second, where hydro is involved, marginal energy costs have to be determined carefully. These costs would be close to zero, at times when water is being spilled or mandatorily run-off for other purposes (e.g., irrigation). HDwever, in a mixed hydro-thermal system, if the hydro is used to displace more expensive thermal plant, then the running cost of the latter is the relevant marginal energy costs. Third, if the pattern of operation is likely to change rapidly in the future (e.g., shift from gas turbines to peaking hydro as the marginal peaking plant, or vice versa), then the value of the LRMC of energy would have to be calculated as a weighted average, with the weights depending on the share of future generation by the different types of plant used. C.4 Consumer Costs These costs are those which can be readily allocated to customers. Fixed customer costs consist of non-recurrent expenses attributable to items -34 - such as service drop lines, meters and labor for installation. These costs may be charged to the customer as a lump sum or distributed payments over several years. Recurrent customer costs occur due to meter reading, billing, administrative and other expenses. These could be imposed as a flat charge, on a repeated basis, in addition to the usual kW and kWh charges. In general, the allocation of incremental (non-fuel) operation, maintenance and adminis- trative costs among the three basic categories of costs: capacity, energy and customer, varies from system to system and requires specific analysis. How- ever, these costs are usually small and will not greatly affect the results. Section D Adjusted LRMC Tariff Structure Once strict LRMC has been calculated, the first stage of tariff setting is complete. In the second stage, the actual tariff structure which meets economic second best, social, financial, political and other constraints must be derived by modifying strict LRMC, and this topic is dealt with below. This process of adjusting LRMC will, in general, result in deviations in both the magnitude and structure of strict LRMC. Changes in tariff structure at this stage will be based mainly on socio-political factors, e.g., differen- tiation by type of consumer (residential, commercial, industrial and so on), or by income level (poor, middle and high income residential). Practical con- siderations such as the difficulties of metering and billing will also affect the final tariff structure. - 35 - The constraints which necessitate deviations in the final tariffs relative to strict LRMC fall into two categories. 1/ The first group consists of distortions which may be analyzed basically within an economic framework, i.e., second best considerations and subsidized (or lifeline) tariffs for low :ncome consumers. In these cases, it is possible to quantify the extent of the deviation from strict LRMC by using an appropriate pricing model and explicit system of shadow prices. The second group includes all other con- siderations such as financial viability, socio-political constraints and problems of metering and billing where strict economic analysis is difficult to apply. These two groups of constraints may be interrelated, e.g., sub- sidized tariffs can simultaneously have economic welfare, financial and socio-political implications. D.1 Second Best Considerations Where prices elsewhere in the economy, especially in the case of substitutes and complements for electric power, 2/ do not reflect marginal costs, a "second best" departure from a strict marginal cost pricing policy fcor electricity services may be required. For example, the subsidies for imported generators and/or diesel fuel,which exist in many developing 1J We note that strict (shadow priced) LRMC also deviates from the LRMC calculated on the basis of financial costs, because shadow prices are used instead of the market prices of electricity sector inputs. This is done to correct the distortions in the economy. Therefore, thie constraints which force further departures fron strict LRMC (in the second stage of the tariff setting procedure) may also be considered consequently as distortions which impose their own shadow values on the calculation. See M. Munasinghe and J. J. Warford, op.cit., for details. 2! More generally, price distortions affecting inputs into the production of electric power and outputs of other sectors which are electricity intensive (e.g., aluminium) should also be considered. The former category may be dealt with by direct shadow pricing of inputs, while the latter requires more detailed analysis (although such cases are rare). - 36 - countries, may make it advantageous for users to set up their own captive plant, even though to the economy as a whole this is not the least cost way of meeting the demand. The appropriate solution in this case might be for the government to revoke such subsidies or restrict imports of private generating plant. However, if transportation policy dictates the need to maintain subsidies for diesel fuel, or if strong pressure groups make such changes politically unfeasible, the low cost of (subsidized) private genera- tion may require the setting of an optimal grid supplies electricity price, which is below strict LRMC. The extent of the deviation from strict LRMC is determined by the magnitude of the subsidy and degree of substitutability of the alternative energy source (see Appendix 2 for details). A related question concerns the availability of subsidized kerosene which in many developing countries is aimed mainly at providing basic energy requirements for low income consumers at prices they can afford. 1/ In part, the subsidy may also prevent low income households especially in rural area from shifting to use of non-commercial fuels, e.g., wood, the over-use of which leads to deforestation and associated environmental consequences, or animal dung, which has a high opportunity cost as a fertilizer. If we assume the kerosene subsidy as given, then once again the price of electricity must be reduced proportionately. 1/ However, a number of unfortunate side effects may follow, including the practice of mixing kerosene with gasoline, which is typically sold at a higher price per gallon. The income distributi6n effects of such a policy may also be perverse. For example, in some countries the rela- tively wealthy have benefitted from the subsidy by converting prime movers which use other fuels, such as motor car engines, to kerosene use. - 37 - D.2 Subsidized or Lifeline Rates In addition to the second best economic arguments (e.g., associated with subsidized kerosene), socio-political or equity arguments are often advanced in favor of "lifeline" rates for electric power, especially where the costs of electricity consumption are high in comparison to the relevant income levels. While the ability of electric power utilities to act as dis- criminating monopolists gives them an advantage in addressing these issues, it is clear that the appropriateness of the "lifeline" rate policy and the size of the rate blocks requires detailed analysis. Such an analysis would involve the study of a whole chain of interrelated energy and other effects, which are generally of a higher order of complexity in developing countries thasn in the developed-country context. Domestic Price G 12 > Il P \ H e _ _ _ _.i\ A F B 5 ~ ~ ' ' I-- Ql (MCB ). Another interesting case illustrates the application of equation (2.3) to correct for economic second-best consideration arising from energy substitution possibilities. As an extreme case, suppose all expenditures diverted from grid supplied electricity will be used to purchase alternative energy which is subsidized by the government (e.g., kerosene for lighting, or diesel for autogeneration). In this case, b is the ratio of the border priced marginal cost of alternative energy to its market price; and may be written: MICB b = ae ae Thus from equation (2.3): 1/ Pe* MCB e. (P /MCB ) (2.4) e e ~ae ae 1/ The logic of this expression may be clarified by considering the case when the actual p >p *. Then the shadow cost of one unit of expenditure on electricity iSeMCg /Pe, while if this sum was used to purchase alter- native energy the shadow cost would be MCB /p . Since p >p *, MCB /p > MCB /p , and the country is better off i remor electricity ts used insead of the alternative energy. Therefore, e should be reduced to pe*. Similar reasoning can be used to show that if p

1, then p e* < MCB also. Therefore, the subsidization of substitute energy prices will result in an optimal electricity price which is below its shadow supply cost. If it is not possible to determine the consumption patterns of specific consumer groups, then b could be defined very broadly as the average conversion factor for all electricity users, e.g., the SCF, as discussed in subsection B.4. Case 3: General Equation (2.1) is the optimal electricity price when social (shadow) prices are used, which incorporate income distributional concerns. Consider the case of a group of very poor consumers for whom we may assume: W >> b (n-1). Therefore, equation (2.1) may be written: P * m n.MCB /W An even greater simplification is possible if it is assumed that n = 1; thus P * = MCB /W '8 e c For illustration, suppose that the income/consumption level of these poor consumers (c) is 1/3 the critical income/consumption level (c) which is like a poverty line. Then a simple expression for the social weight is: W c 3 c c Therefore p5* = MCB /3, which is the "lifeline" rate or subsidized tariff approprt t e appropriate to this group of low income consumers. - 55 - REFERENCES 1. W. J. Baumol and D. F. Bradford, "Optimal Departures from Marginal Cost Pricing" American Economic Review, June 1979, pp. 265-283. 2. M. Boiteux, "La Tarification des Demandes en Pointe," Revue Generale de l'Electricite, vol. 58 (1949). 3. M. Boiteux and P. Stasi, "The Determination of Costs of Expansion of an Interconnected System of Production and Distribution of Electricity," in James Nelson, ed., Marginal Cost Pricing in Practice, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall (1964). 4. C. J. Cicchetti, W. J. Gillen and P. Smolensky, The Marginal Cost and Pricing of Electricity, Ballinger Publishing Co., Cambridge, Mass (1977). 5. M. A. Crew and P. R. Kleindorfer, "Reliability and Public Utility Pricing," American Economic Review, vol. 68 (March 1978), pp. 31-40. 6. P. Dasgupta, A. Sen and S. Marglin, Guidelines for Project Evaluation (UNIDO), United Nations, New York (1972). 7. P. Dupuit, "De l'Utilite' et de sa Mesure," La Reforma Soziale, Turin, (1932). 8. Electric Utility Rate Design Study, Rate Design and Load Control, NARUC Study, Palo Alto, California (November 1977), pp. 67-77. 9. M. S. Feldstein, "Distributional Equity and the Optimal Structure of Public Prices," American Economic Review, 1973, pp. 32-36. 10. H. Hotelling, "The General Welfare in Relation to Problems of Taxation and of Railway and Utility Rates," Econometrica, vol. 6 (July 1938), pp. 242-269. 11. 1. M. D. Little and J. A. Mirrless, Project Appraisal and Planning for Developing Countries, Basic Books, New York (1974). 12. Marginal Costing and Pricing of Electrical Energy, Proceedings of the State of the Art Conference, Canadian Electrical Association, Montreal (1978). 13. A. K. Miedama, S. B. White, C. A. Clayton and D. P. Lifson, "Analysis of Experimental Time-of-Use Electricity Prices," Tenth Annual Conference on Current Issues in Public Utility Regulation, Williamsburg, Va. (Dec. 1978), Research Triangle Institute, North Carolina. 14. E. J. Mishan, Cost Benefit Analysis, Praeger, New York (1976), part vii. 15. B. M. Mitchell, W. G. Manning, Jr., and J. P. Acton, Peak Load Pricing, Ballinger Publishing Co., Cambridge, Mass. (1978). - 56 - 16. M. Munasinghe, "A New Approach to System Planning," IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, vol. PAS-78 (July-August, 1979). 17. M. Munasinghe, Economics of Power System Reliability and Planning, Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore (1979). 18. M. Munasinghe, "Marginal Cost Based Tariff Calculations in Developing Countries," EWT Dept. Report, World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1979). 19. M. Munasinghe, "The Costs of Electric Power Shortages to Residential Consumers," Journal of Consumer Economics (forthcoming). 20. M. Munasinghe and M. Gellerson, "Economic Criteria for Optimizing Power System Reliability Levels," The Bell Journal of Economics, vol. 10 (Spring 1979), pp. 353-365. 21. M. Munasinghe and J. J. Warford, "Shadow Pricing and Power Tariff Policy," in Marginal Costing and Pricing of Electrical Energy, op. cit., pp. 159-180. 22. N. Ruggles, "The Welfare Basis of the Marginal Cost Pricing Principle," Review of Economic Studies, Vol. 17 (1949-59), pp. 29-46. 23. N. Ruggles, "Recent Developments in the Theory of Marginal Cost Pricing," ibid., pp. 107-126. 24. R.J. Saunders, J.J. Warford and P.C. Mann, "Alternative Concepts of Marginal Cost Pricing for Public Utility Pricing: Problems of Applica- tion in the Water Supply Sector", Staff Working Paper No. 259, World Bank, Washington D. C. (May 1977). 25. R. Sherman and M. Visscher, "Second Best Pricing with Stochastic Demand," American Economic Review, vol. 68 (March 1978), pp. 42-53. 26. P. Steiner, "Peak Loads and Efficient Pricing," Quarterly Journal of Economics (November 1957). 27. R. Turvey, Optimal Pricing and Invetment in Electricity Supply, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass. (1968). 28. R. Turvey and D. Anderson, Electricity Economics, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore (1977). 29. J. T. Wenders, "Peak Load Pricing in the Electric Utility Industry," The Bell Journal of Economics, vol. 7 (Spring 1976), pp. 232-241. 30. 0. E. Williamson, "Peak Load Pricing and Optimal Capacity under Indivisibility Constraints," The American Economic Review, vol. 56, No. 4 (Sept. 1966), pp. 810-827. RECENT PAPERS IN THIS SERIES No. TITLE OF PAPER AUTHOR 310 Teacher Training qnd Student Achievement T. Husen, L. Saha in Less Developed Countries R. Noonan (consultants) 311 Optimum Economic Power Supply Reliability M. Munasinghe M. Gellerson (consultant) 312 Intra-Industry Trade and the Integration B. Balassa of Developing Countries in the World Economy 313 Export Promotion Policies B. de Vries 314 The Changing Composition of Developing H. Chenery Country Exports D. Keesing 315 Urban Growth and Economic Development M. Cohen in the Sahel: Prospects and Priorities 316 World Trade and Output of Manufactures: D. Keesing Structural Trends and Developing Countries' Exports 317 Cuba: Economic Change and Education M. Carnoy, Reform 1955-1874 J. Wertheim (consultants) 318 Sources of Fertility Decline: Factor R. Faruqee Analysis of Inter-Country Data 319 Educational and Economic Effects of W.D. Haddad Promotion and Repetition Practices 320 Small Farmers and the Landless in I.J. Singh South Asia 321 Fruit and Vegetable Exports from the R.D. Hunt Mediterranean Area to the EEC 322 Ability in Pre-Schoolers, Earnings, R. Grawe and Home-Environment 323 Priorities in Educationz Pre-School; M.-Smilansky Evidence and Conclusions (consultant) 324 Tropical Root Crops and Rural T.J. Goering Development - 2 - No. TITLE OF PAPER AUTHOR 325 Costs and Scale of Bus Services A.A. Walters 326 Social and Cultural Dimensions of R. Noronha Tourism (consultant) 327 Investment in Indian Education: S. Heyneman Uneconomic 328 Nutrition and Food Needs in Developing 0. Knudsen Countries P.L. Scandizzo 329 The Changing International Division of B. Balassa Labor in Manufactured Goods 330 Application of Shadow Pricing to Country L. Squire Economic Analysis with an Illustration I.M.D. Little from Pakistan M. Durdag 331 A Survey of the Fertilizer Sector in B. Bumb (consultant) India 332 Monitoring and Evaluation in the PIDER M. Cernea Rural Development Project - Mexico 333 Determinants of Private Industrial A. Pinell-Siles Investment in India 334 The "Graduation" Issue in Trade Policy I. Frank Toward LDCs (consultant) 335 Balancing Trickle Down and Basic M. Selowsky Needs Strategies: Income Distribution Issues in Large Middle-Income Countries with Special Reference to Latin America 336 Labor Force, Employment and Labor L. Squire Markets in the Course of Economic Development 337 The Population of Thailand: Its Growth S. Cochrane and Welfare 338 Capital Market Imperfections and V.V. Bhatt, Economic Development A.R. Roe 339 Behaviour of Foodgrain Production J. Sarma and Consumption in India, 1960-77 S. Roy