Electric Power Generation Industry Profile

Companies in this industry operate electric power generation facilities that convert other forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, nuclear, water, wind, and solar power, into electrical energy. Major companies include AES, American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Exelon, and Tennessee Valley Authority (all based in the US), along with China Datang Corporation and China Huaneng Group (both based in China), EON (Germany), Inter RAO (Russia), and TEPCO (Japan).

The global electricity industry generates about 30 terawatt-hours of electricity. The leading countries in electricity generation are China, the US, India, Russia, and Japan, according to Statista. About 13% of the world's population does not have access to electricity, according to Our World in Data.

The US electric power generation industry consists of about 3,300 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $120 billion.

Companies that generate electricity primarily from fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, or wind are covered in separate industry profiles. Companies that transmit and distribute electricity are covered in the Electric Power Transmission, Distribution & Marketing 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 is driven by commercial, government, and residential needs for electrical power, which depend mainly on economic activity and population growth. Profitability is determined by government regulations, efficiency, and fuel ...