A SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR MAINTENANCE AND RENEWAL EFFICIENCY

摘要

Facing a competitive environment production utilities are forced to rethink their maintenance strategies[1]. Since the deregulation of the Swedish electrical market in 1996 energy sales have become a competitive market, while distribution and transmission became natural monopolies. For electric production companies the income is a result of the prices for electricity set by supply and demand. The hourly margin cost sets the price for the whole market. Before the change the tariff was essentially the sum of cost of utilities and a reasonable profit: Tariff = Cost + Profit. Under the new regulation the tariff is determined independently of the cost of utilities. Hence, the profit is what is left when utilities costs are subtracted: Profit = Tariff Costs[2]. A utilities earnings is the difference between incomes and costs, the incomes can be increased by selling more power or by raising prices. To sell more power new investments must be made, either by purchasing other utilities or by building more power production facilities. But even if this approach is adopted the new investments must be maintained as effectively as possible. To increase the price of electricity is beyond the control of a utility. This means that a utility must be as cost effective as possible to survive on a deregulated power market.