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  • Assurance

    Power and Utilities Alert 2012-2: 2011 technical update for the power and utilities industry
    This 2011 technical update addresses accounting issues impacting power generators and utilities to support senior accounting and financial reporting staff for 2011 year-end financial reporting It includes a discussion of anticipated future financial reporting issues that power and utility companies should consider.

    Power and Utilities Alert 2012-2: 2011 technical update for the power and utilities industry
    This 2011 technical update addresses accounting issues impacting power generators and utilities to support senior accounting and financial reporting staff for 2011 year-end financial reporting It includes a discussion of anticipated future financial reporting issues that power and utility companies should consider.

    Power and Utilities alert: 2011-07
    This Power and Utilities Alert highlights key issues and considerations in addressing the potential accounting implications for the Revenue from Contracts with Customers exposure draft, including areas that are consistent with the Boards' original proposal but require additional focus as the potential issuance date moves closer.

    Gate assessments: Project and risk evaluation to help power and utility companies succeed
    Power and utility projects can be complex and can introduce exposure to risk. Measuring project success includes delivery of anticipated benefits, organizational acceptance, and regulatory compliance. Gate assessments provide visibility into project status that help to reduce risk through a phased evaluation approach tailored to the project type.

    Financial reporting in the power and utilities industry
    For Power & Utilities companies, this paper draws on our considerable experience of helping companies apply IFRS effectively and includes a number of real-life examples from power and utilities companies’ annual reports to show how they are responding to the various challenges along the value chain.

    Stay Informed: 2010 technical update
    This report highlights key current, ongoing and forward-looking issues impacting the industry including current development, what matters now, commodity contract accounting, accounting for natural gas storage and transportation agreement, public policy and what to expect ahead.

  • Capital projects

    Gain not pain: Managing risk in utilities capital projects
    Senior executives and experts from several countries convened at PwC's March 2011 Capital Projects and Infrastructure Roundtable to discuss challenges facing utility companies. This report gives a flavor of the content from what was a very wide-ranging roundtable discussion. We focus our summary on people, financing, contracts and delivery, dispute avoidance and resolution and round up the report with a review of the important points that came out of the discussion.

    Successful capital projects: The integrated risk framework
    Capital investment projects are more closely scrutinized today than ever before. To rein in costs and chart a path to success, companies must employ sound methodologies that guide decision making from project start to finish. This report provides framework around the adoption of a governance approach that drives high-performance capital projects.

    Resurgence of nuclear power: Key considerations as the nuclear option is re-introduced
    In this report, PwC discusses the key strategic, financial and operational issues and challenges that executives and shareholders should consider when building out new nuclear power plants.

    Critical imperatives for the modern utility industry: Strategic vision, transparency, accountability, and agility will determine the success of power and utilities companies
    This white paper highlights how the success of today's power and utility companies, in light of regulatory mandates, will be determined by those who are strategic visionaries, agile, transparent and accountable.

  • Climate change

    Appetite for change
    The most comprehensive survey of its kind yet completed, Appetite for change examines attitudes in the international business community towards environmental regulation, legislation and taxes.

    10Minutes on monetizing carbon
    10Minutes on Monetizing Carbon looks at what companies can do to prepare for a broader trend toward putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

    Understanding financial reporting for green and stimulus incentives
    This paper provides a framework within which to assess certain financial reporting implications that occur when taking advantage of green and stimulus incentives.

  • Deals

    North American power deals: Q4 2011 mergers & acquisitions report
    This PwC report presents an analysis of deal activity in the North American power and utilities industry.

    How revised M&A accounting standards are impacting deals
    Changes to M&A accounting standards enacted several years ago (ASC 805, formerly SFAS 141R) have caused uncertainty for companies in knowing how transactions will impact their financial statements. How have companies changed the way that they approach and plan for deals as a result of the revised accounting rules?

    Renewables deals: 2010 analysis and 2011 foresight
    This report examines the rationale behind the overall trends and the key individual deals in the renewable energy sector. This year we have expanded our analysis to cover the increasingly important field of energy efficiency as well as looking separately at important initial public offering (IPO) activity. We also highlight, in a series of deal dialogues throughout the report, some of the critical issues for companies engaging in deal activity within the sector, drawing on our global experience as an adviser to players in major deals in renewable energy markets.

    Power deals 2010 annual review
    The global power deal market is finally seeing an upward trend in momentum from the lows reached in 2009, with the total deal value in the non-renewable electricity and gas sectors up 19% year on year from $97.6 billion USD to $116 billion USD in 2010 – a year which also saw an end to the deal stalemate in the US with a renewed deal flow that looks set to continue this year. Power Deals 2010 reviews deal activity in the power and gas utilities sectors. The report is the latest review in our annual series on deal-making.

    Renewables deals: 2009 annual review
    An annual review by PwC of deal-making in the renewable energy sector.

  • Human capital

    Change is happening: Is your workforce ready?
    A PwC power and utilities industry survey shows that many companies are unsure how to best handle the ongoing dramatic human resource evolution within their organizations.

    Change is certain. Are you? How to alter your organization’s views on change and strategy
    Over the course of the past few tumultus years, one thing has not changed much. A majority - about 75% - of change initiatives fail. In these cases, change is more chronic than constant, as organizations let an important lifeline to future success and slip through their hands. A rigorous change process, in which challenging questions are addressed and no assumption goes unturned, can unveil crucial information about stakeholders’ perceptions of change-readiness and help breathe new life into an organization and its team.

    Facing critical workforce issues in the utilities industry
    This paper outlines how talent management supports the business strategy as the utility industry workforce demographics change.

  • Internal audit

    Climbing to greater insight and impact: Chief audit executives ascend to position themselves in more strategic roles
    Results from the PwC Power and Utilities 6th Annual Chief Audit Executives Survey, conducted in fall 2011, underscore what was discussed at our CAE Roundtable. Internal audit leaders at power and utility companies continue to target certain key areas for improvement.

    Delivering value during times of change: To achieve high performance, chief audit executives must seize opportunities and meet increasing demands
    The utilities and power generation industry is in the spotlight as companies, governments, and consumers face risks posed by commodity price volatility, security and privacy, environmental impacts, and critical infrastructure needs to modernize and meet regulatory requirements for reliability while maintaining a reasonable cost to customers.This paper explores each of these areas and shares highlights from PwC's Utilities CAE survey and October 2010 roundtable discussion.

    Surviving and thriving in the downturn
    How utility chief audit executives can manage risk and drive value
    Today’s utility company internal audit departments view construction, asset management, maintenance, safety, and regulatory compliance risks as areas that should be included in their audit plans. This paper explores each of these areas and shares highlights from PwC's Utilities chief audit executive survey and October 2009 roundtable discussion.

  • Regulatory

    A Closer Look: FinReg impacts on nonfinancial companies
    This edition of A Closer Look provides context and perspective on the areas of Dodd-Frank that are of particular concern to nonfinancial companies.

  • Smart grid

    Smart grid investment grants: Navigating the challenges
    The DOE’s Smart Grid grants have funded projects have created jobs while protecting the environment. Power and utility companies experience challenges in navigating the compliance requirements associated with the grants.

    From compliance to risk management: Defending against emerging cyber threats at power and utility companies
    This whitepaper examines how power and utilities companies can keep their critical electric power assets secure by shifting toward a thorough risk-based approach and away from compliance driven security.

    Gate assessments: Project and risk evaluation to help power and utility companies succeed
    Power and utility projects can be complex and can introduce exposure to risk. Measuring project success includes delivery of anticipated benefits, organizational acceptance, and regulatory compliance. Gate assessments provide visibility into project status that help to reduce risk through a phased evaluation approach tailored to the project type.

    Getting real about cyber threats: Where are you headed?
    As energy, utilities and power companies increase their use of technologies like smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure, and modern control systems, cyber attacks and malware threats increase. Companies that understand cyber threats will be in the best position to defeat them.

    Smart grid growing pains
    Utilities and other stakeholders are redefining their roles as players in the rapidly expanding smart grid infrastructure space. This paper explores the early growing pains of managing revolutionary industry shifts now underway--involving technological, operational and behavioral elements.

    Cyber attacks: Is your critical infrastructure safe?
    This paper explores emerging cyber attack trends and the latest defensive countermeasures.

    Cleantech revolution: Building smart infrastructures
    The report defines the role and outlines the opportunities for companies in the emerging smart infrastructure market.

    Making smart decisions: Utilities ask, 'What do I do now?
    This paper highlights the steps utilities need to take to meet the complex reporting and compliance requirements aimed at making sure tax dollars are appropriately spent.

    In pursuit of government grants
    This white paper discusses what utility companies need to know when pursuing a federal stimulus grant and provides knowledge about the compliance, accounting, and tax implications involved.

  • Technology

    Integrated strategic mobility: technology drives improvement
    This paper explores how utilities can harness new web-based technology to thrive in today’s evolving marketplace.

    Benefiting from utility customer service applications: Proper planning is key to implementation
    This paper explores how utilities can benefit from customer service applications through thorough planning.