Productivity improvement in the water and sewerage industry in England since privatisation: Final report for Water UK.

Water UK has commissioned Frontier Economics to quantify the productivity gains achieved by the water and sewerage companies in England since privatisation in 1989. To undertake this work, Frontier Economics has estimated the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth achieved by the industry between 1992/93 and 2016/17. Our work is based on an update of previous work published by Saal & Parker (2001)1 . Notwithstanding the limited timescale of the project, the study has also sought to explore the potential for extending the analysis through further sensitivity of the model to different assumptions, and through the development of new techniques. Frontier Economics has completed this work in collaboration with Professor David Saal of the Centre for Productivity and Performance at Loughborough University, who is a leading expert in productivity analyses in the UK. The work has been independently reviewed by Professor Tom Weyman-Jones

Scale and scope economies and the efficient vertical and horizontal configuration of the water industry: A survey of the literature

This paper surveys the literature on scale and scope economies in the water and sewerage industry. The magnitude of scale and scope economies determines the cost efficient configuration of any industry. In the case of a regulated sector, reliable estimates of these economies are relevant to inform reform proposals that promote vertical (un)bundling and mergers. The empirical evidence allows some general conclusions. First, there is considerable evidence for the existence of vertical scope economies between upstream water production and distribution. Second, there is only mixed evidence on the existence of (dis)economies of scope between water and sewerage activities. Third, economies of scale exist up to certain output level, and diseconomies of scale arise if the company increases its size beyond this level. However, the optimal scale of utilities also appears to vary considerably between countries. Finally, we briefly consider the implications of our findings for water pricing and point to several directions for necessary future empirical research on the measurement of these economies, and explaining their cross country variation

Estimating economies of scale and scope with flexible technology

Economies of scope are typically modelled and estimated using a cost function that is common to all firms in an industry irrespective of their type, e.g. whether they specialize in a single output or produce multiple outputs. Instead, we estimate a flexible technology model that allows for type-specific technologies and show how it can be estimated using linear parametric forms including the translog. A common technology remains a special case of our model and is testable econometrically. Our sample, of publicly owned US electric utilities, does not support a common technology for integrated and specialized firms. Our empirical results therefore suggest that assuming a common technology might bias estimates of economies of scale and scope. Thus, how we model the production technology clearly influences the policy conclusions we draw from its characteristics

Supplementary information files for An iron ore-based catalyst for producing hydrogen and metallurgical carbon via catalytic methane pyrolysis for decarbonisation of the steel industry

Supplementary files for article An iron ore-based catalyst for producing hydrogen and metallurgical carbon via catalytic methane pyrolysis for decarbonisation of the steel industry Experiments to investigate the catalytic pyrolysis of methane using an iron ore-based catalyst were carried out to optimize catalytic activity and examine the purity of the carbon produced from the process for the first time. Ball milling of the iron ore at 300 rpm for varying times – from 30 to 330 minutes – was studied to determine the effect of milling time on methane conversion. Optimal milling for 270 minutes led to a five-fold increase in methane conversion from ca. 1% to 5%. Further grinding resulted in a decline of methane conversion to 4% shown by SEM to correspond to an increase in particle size caused by agglomeration. Data from Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy and H2 temperature programmed reduction indicated a change in phase from magnetite to maghemite and hematite (at the particle surface) as the grinding time increased. Analysis of the carbon produced as a byproduct of the reaction indicated a highly pure material with the potential to be used as an additive for steel production. </p

An iron ore-based catalyst for producing hydrogen and metallurgical carbon via catalytic methane pyrolysis for decarbonisation of the steel industry

Experiments to investigate the catalytic pyrolysis of methane using an iron ore-based catalyst were carried out to optimize catalytic activity and examine the purity of the carbon produced from the process for the first time. Ball milling of the iron ore at 300 rpm for varying times – from 30 to 330 minutes – was studied to determine the effect of milling time on methane conversion. Optimal milling for 270 minutes led to a five-fold increase in methane conversion from ca. 1% to 5%. Further grinding resulted in a decline of methane conversion to 4% shown by SEM to correspond to an increase in particle size caused by agglomeration. Data from Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopy and H2 temperature programmed reduction indicated a change in phase from magnetite to maghemite and hematite (at the particle surface) as the grinding time increased. Analysis of the carbon produced as a byproduct of the reaction indicated a highly pure material with the potential to be used as an additive for steel production.</p