Use our industry guide to find key background information, market research, import and export guidelines, statistics, legislation, trade bodies and trade publications.
The Business & Industry Guides series is produced by the Library & Information Service for ICAEW members and ACA students.
We can compile tailored key players reports, mailing lists, market reports, benchmarking reports and industry news. Our enquiry team can also research other industry-specific information, such as taxation, for you. Call us on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or email library@icaew.com.
Trends and forecasts
European Power and Utilities Report
Quarterly report published by KPMG on the European power and utilities sector. Areas covered include prices and margins, financial performance of European power and utilities companies, regulatory developments, mergers and acquisitions and future outlook for the sector.
Energy Outlook
Annual publication from BP projecting long-term trends in energy production, trade and consumption around the world. The full report, individual region and country factsheets and Excel data tables are available to download.
Market research
Market research reports focusing on this business sector are available from a number of market research specialists. In most cases these reports are available to fee-paying subscribers or on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Some free information is available from the following market research specialists, ranging from industry news to executive summaries of the reports.
Euromonitor
A full listing of reference products and research reports on the production, collection and distribution of electricity from Euromonitor, with a range of global, country and company level reports. Each report provides a contents listing and a useful executive summary reporting on the key trends in each country report.
IBISWorld
Business and industry research specialists offering reports on a wide range of sectors, including electricity production, transmission, distribution and trade. Report snapshots, table of contents and a sample report are available. The company also produces global industry research reports.
Mintel
Report from Mintel covering the UK electricity industry. The website includes a summary and the option to view a contents listing.
Further resources
The energy supplier market
Report from the National Audit Office, published in June 2022, on the recent exit of energy suppliers from the market. Part 1 includes information on the nature of the energy market in Great Britain, the regulatory system for the energy supplier market and how the energy supplier market has developed in recent decades.
Industry news
Statistics on the UK
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero compiles annual, quarterly and monthly statistics on a wide range of topics within the electricity industry, including:
- supply and consumption;
- fuel use;
- plant capacity;
- plant loads, demand and efficiency;
- the number of power stations.
Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)
Ofgem regularly compiles various data and statistical reports giving comparisons for:
- electricity;
- competition;
- energy;
- UK electricity consumption;
- UK electricity consumption by region;
- network statistics; and
- industry milestones.
Office for National Statistics
The Annual Business Survey (ABS) from the Office for National Statistics collects financial information covering UK production, construction, distribution and service industries. Statistics available include:
- number of enterprises;
- total turnover;
- approximate gross value added at basic prices;
- total purchases of goods, materials and services;
- total employment costs;
- total net capital expenditure;
- total net capital expenditure – acquisitions;
- total net capital expenditure – disposals;
- total stocks and work in progress – value at end of year;
- total stocks and work in progress – value at beginning of year;
- total stocks and work in progress – increase during year.
The dataset Non-financial business economy, UK: Sections A to S includes statistics for:
- Manufacture of electric motors, generators, transformers and electricity distributions and control apparatus (27.1)
See Section C: Manufacturing - Electric power generation, transmission and distribution (35.1)
See Section D: Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - Construction of utility projects for electricity and telecommunications (42.22)
See Section F: Construction
Statistics on Europe
Eurostat
Eurostat, the EU statistics hub, collates detailed Structural Business Statistics giving the latest figures for industry, construction, trade and services by sector and country. The indicators available include:
- number of enterprises
- turnover or gross premiums written
- production value
- value added at factor cost
- gross operating surplus
- wages and salaries
- social security costs
- gross investment in tangible goods
- gross investment in land
- gross investment in existing buildings and structures
- gross investment in construction and alteration of buildings
- gross investment in machinery and equipment
- number of employees
- number of persons employed per enterprise.
Statistics within the database are available for:
- Manufacture of electric motors, generators, transformers and electricity distributions and control apparatus (C271)
- Electric power generation, transmission and distribution (D351)
- Construction of utility projects for electricity and telecommunications (F4222)
See database section ‘SBS – industry and construction’.
Global statistics
International Energy Agency
The International Energy Agency (IEA) provides statistics on electricity by country and region. Figures include:
- production by source
- total production
- domestic supply
- transformation
- energy industry own use
- final consumption.
The IEA also publishes several annual statistical reports on the sector, including Electricity Information. Each report contains detailed country-by-country data and analysis of historical and current market trends. They can be purchased from the OECD and IEA bookshops.
BP
BP produces an annual Statistical Review of World Energy containing detailed data on reserves, prices, trade, production and consumption of different energy sources broken down by country, region and sector. Historical data is also available to download. The report covers oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, hydroelectricity, renewable energy and primary energy.
UN Industrial Commodity Statistics Database
The UN provides statistics on the quantity of goods produced by country in the Industrial Commodity Statistics Database.
Figures are available for:
- Electrical energy (17)
UNIDO
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has compiled and published World Statistics on Mining and Utilities 2018, providing data by country on the production and distribution of electricity.
Employment
UK
The Office for National Statistics publication Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) includes average employment costs within this sector which can be found in Table 14. Average employment costs are provided for full-time employees, part-time employees and all employees.
The data includes average employment costs for:
- energy plant operatives; and
- managers in mining and energy.
The annual Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), published by the Office for National Statistics, includes total employee and employment estimates for different industries for Great Britain and the UK. Figures are broken down to show full-time/part-time and public/private splits. The dataset Industry – Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Table 2 includes statistics for:
- Manufacture of electric motors, generators, transformers and electricity distributions and control apparatus (271)
- Electric power generation, transmission and distribution (351)
- Construction of utility projects for electricity and telecommunications (42220)
Other regions
Please see individual country profile pages for links to sources of national statistics.
Legislation and regulation
UK
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a section on engineering, which includes latest regulations affecting this industry.
Beyond Brexit: food, environment, energy and health
House of Lords select committee report March 2021) on what the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) means for food trade, fisheries, environment and climate change, energy and carbon pricing, chemicals and health.
Impact of Brexit on the energy sector
Publication from law firm Norton Rose Fulbright (February 2021) on the impact of Brexit on the energy sector. Covers a range of areas including nuclear power, renewable energy and gas.
Trading electricity with the EU
Guidance from GOV.UK on how cross-border trading and supply of electricity will be affected from 2021 when the transition period after Brexit ends.
Import and export
Trade Tariff
The Trade Tariff is a useful Gov.uk database listing tax, duties and licenses for the import and export of goods between the UK and other countries. The database is searchable by product or commodity code and results can be filtered by date and country. Information also includes links to relevant conditions and regulations.
See import and export information for:UK key players, ratios and trends
Valuation
UK benchmarking
Trade bodies
The websites of trade bodies in this sector are a useful source of industry overviews, contacts and statistics.
UK
- Association of Manufacturers of Power Generating Systems (AMPS)
- Energy Institute
- Energy Networks Association (ENA)
- Energy UK
- Major Energy Users' Council (MEUC)
- National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG)
- Ofgem
Europe
- COGEN Europe
- European Federation of Local Energy Companies (CEDEC)
- Union of the Electricity Industry: EURELECTRIC
Africa
Oceania
Global
Trade journals and publications
Trade journals, B2B magazines and specialist consumer magazines are another useful source of news and statistics.
Further resources
Energy industry guide: British Library
British Library industry guides provide listings of resources for industry-specific information, including print directories and materials held by the British Library.
Contact the British Library Business and IP Centre for more information.
Further reading
Articles and books in the Library collection
To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to book loans.
You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports by post or email through our document supply service.
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