Developing competition in the water industry: is access the answer?

摘要

Access regimes, coupled with appropriate deregulation, have proven to be substantial catalysts for competition in the electricity and gas industries. Governments are now focussing on the water industry, and access is being examined as a means of increasing competition. However, similar effects to those observed in electricity and gas are only likely if water is economically similar to them. This paper argues that they are not, and outlines reasons for this conclusion. From this, the paper concludes that access in the water industry is likely to have only niche market applications, and discusses a number of potential examples.