abstract

The intense and growing competitive pressure makes an unavoidable cost reduction to increase business competitiveness imperative. The emphasis on cost containment has traditionally focused on reducing labor costs, particularly in containing wage. However, some economic activities invoice other costs such as the electricity can represent a not insignificant part in relation to labor costs.

The generation of electricity in the world depends mainly on fossil fuels. In 1999, 63.7% of electricity is produced in power plants (with combustion of petroleum, natural gas and coal), 17.2% by nuclear power plants, 17.5% from hydropower and 1.6% by other sources of energy. In the same year, the main energy used for electricity generation was coal with 38.1%, followed by natural gas with 17.1% and petroleum products to 8.5%. It is expected that in 2020 the share of natural gas will increase globally by 26.5% and the share of coal and nuclear energy is reduced by 31.7% and 12.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, renewable energy will account for 20% of the production of electricity.

Electrical energy is fundamental to the operation of companies in the industrial sector and despite the industrial rate fell 2.4% and the fixed charge pillar also had a reduction of 53.31 to 53.27 pesos expense energy consumption in this sector is $20,000 monthly. The analysis of these issues is essential to assess and guide the different actions in the field of industrial policy, to anticipate what strategies are most effective in controlling energy costs and which sectors should be eligible for priority intervention. Moreover, the reduction of energy costs can be achieved in two ways. The first, by reducing the amount of energy consumed by the company and as a second option, the cheaper price you pay for the energy they consume.