Performance benchmarking for regulating electricity distribution: Insights from empirical academic research

Abstract

Given its technological characteristics, the electricity distribution is managed by regional monopolies worldwide. Effective regulation of these monopolies requires rigorous performance benchmarking analysis across comparable peers in the industry. This article provides a comprehensive review of empirical studies examining efficiency and productivity change within the electricity distribution over the past three decades. We provide an overview of the main methodological frontier approaches employed, alongside an analysis of the findings from previous empirical studies. We identify methodological and data-related issues while highlighting challenges to be addressed in future research on benchmarking analysis for regulation.