The Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER) has opened the call for Phase III of its benchmarking study of generation plants , an initiative that seeks to compare costs, productivity and operational performance among companies in the region.
The project will allow companies to compare their results with those of other market players, identify efficiency gaps, and learn what practices top performers are using. To achieve this, CIER will work with Quantum America to collect and analyze technical, operational, and financial information.
“Companies need to be efficient, and the best way to know if they are doing things right or not is by comparing themselves to companies in the same sector,” said José Miguel Acosta , Knowledge Manager and International Transmission Coordinator at CIER, in an interview with Energía Estratégica .
The new edition of the benchmarking incorporates a reality that was not present when the previous phase of the study was developed: the expansion of non-conventional renewable energies in the regional electricity matrix, so there will be more representative analyses of the current conditions of the industry.
The methodology includes productivity indicators, technical performance indicators, administration, operation and maintenance (AOM) and financial indicators, related to installed capacity and megawatt-hours generated, as common parameters to compare results between plants with similar characteristics from different countries.
“To make it comparable, it has to be done using a standard unit: the MWh generated. That is, how much does it cost each plant to generate? “Since there are different currencies in the region, the costs are adjusted using purchasing power parity (PPP) factors to ensure international comparability,” Acosta emphasized.
Unlike conventional exercises, the analysis will not be limited to identifying costs, but will also identify the practices that explain these results and what actions could be replicated to improve performance.
Segmentation will also be another key element of the study, as comparisons will be made by technology and plant size to avoid distortions between assets with dissimilar characteristics.
Furthermore, the scheme includes specific benefits for business groups that operate multiple plants in one or more countries. This will allow them to analyze the performance of their various subsidiaries using a single methodology and identify opportunities for improvement within their own portfolio.
“Companies do not need to be members of CIER to participate, since we include a discount for member companies in our cost scale,” explained the Regional Energy Integration Commission .
Currently, the initiative is in the recruitment and participant enrollment phase. According to the project timeline, Phase III is scheduled to formally begin in July.
From cost analysis to new opportunities for regional integration
One of the main differentiators of the study is that it not only seeks to optimize the internal management of companies, but also to provide information for strategic decision-making.
How? Participating companies will receive efficiency reports by macro-process, cost overrun analysis, productivity indicators, and best practice reports.
In addition, there is an interactive dashboard that will remain available for three years and will allow users to consult results permanently and confidentially; that is, each participant will only have access to their own identification within the database and will not be able to view individualized information from the rest of the companies.
“The result guarantees that the confidentiality of the information is maintained, so only the companies will know their own code,” Acosta assured.
According to Alejandro Sruoga, executive director of CIER , the information obtained can also be used to identify business opportunities beyond domestic markets, especially in a context where the competitiveness of renewable energies is modifying regional energy flows.
“Why regional benchmarking? The opportunity to generate and sell energy is not only within the country, but it may also be beyond the border,” he argues.
Under that logic, knowing how each asset is positioned against its regional peers can help identify opportunities to export energy, take advantage of neighboring markets, or strengthen electrical integration processes.
“A company analyzes its best practices, but ultimately ends up receiving a different perspective on the costs or generation methods, allowing it to identify where there might be niches for importing or exporting,” Sruoga concluded.
For more information, please contact:
José Miguel Acosta , Knowledge Manager CIER: jmacostas@cier.org
Marco Valencia , International Coordinator of CIER Generation: movalencia@cier.org