ABSTRACT

Over the hundred years of its existence, almost every aspect of decisionmaking of the electricity supply industry (ESI) worldwide has come under the direct or indirect influence of national Governments. The declared rationale for the exertion of Government influence has consistently cited the need to ensure that the ESI's decisions fitted in with strategic national objectives, in short, to secure the national interest. In some cases the aim of Government intervention has been to guarantee that the supply of an increasingly vital public service was cheap, reliable and universally available. In others, it has been a result of the sheer size of the electricity sector which meant that decisions taken withln the industry often had sigruficant repercussions for other sectors of the economy which are dependent on it, such as the fuel-and equipment-supply industries.