Expertise

What Britain’s old railways can tell us about today’s transport investment

Britain's inherited rail network helped CEPA separate transport investment driven by current economic conditions from investment driven by historical infrastructure patterns.

Financial adviser for offshore transmission owner evaluations

CEPA was appointed, as part of a consortium of financial advisory firms led by Smith Square Partners, as financial adviser to Ofgem on the competitive tender process to select the offshore transmission owner for TR7-TR13 tender rounds.

CEPA named as one of the UK’s top 5 economics consulting firms in 2026

Based on feedback from clients, consultants and other sector participants, Consultancy UK has placed CEPA in the top, diamond level ranking of economics consultancy providers in the UK.

Hurdle rates for electricity generation technologies

CEPA provided advice on the relevant investment hurdle rates for different electricity technologies. The advice drew on a range of evidence, including analysis of market data and an investor survey. The hurdle rates would inform policy decisions in the UK electricity sector.

Cost estimates for unabated gas-fired power projects published

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero commissioned CEPA and GHD to produce an updated comprehensive assessment of the costs of developing new unabated gas-fired power projects in GB, and extending the operating life of existing gas plants.

CEPA Australia seeks to fill three key roles

CEPA is seeking senior candidates with the networks, expertise and drive to expand our existing Australian practice into new services, clients and geographies: Partner - Head of CEPA Australia; Director or Managing Consultant; and Senior Consultant or Consultant.

CEPA’s updated analysis of security of energy supply in Ireland

The Irish Government has published a CEPA report on energy security of supply in Ireland, which helped to inform the Irish Government’s strategy on energy security, while ensuring a sustainable transition to a carbon neutral energy system.

The National Payments Vision: What are its chances of success?

Payment ecosystems have evolved significantly in recent years – but the UK is no longer the leader it once was. Hence the new National Payments Vision (NPV) outlined by Rachel Reeves in her Mansion House speech in late November. We examine the drivers behind the NPV and its chances of success.

A ‘broken’ NHS, £22.6bn and a big reform agenda

In the context of an ambitious government reform agenda and the Autumn Budget, this CEPA report reviews the state of the NHS and provides a strategic assessment of the government’s policies and plans.

What is water poverty and how is it defined?

Given the emphasis on the cost of living in several recent party manifestos, we recognise an opportune moment to raise awareness and foster informed discussion about water poverty in the UK.

CEPA co-founder knighted in the King’s 2024 Birthday Honours

We congratulate Dr Keith Palmer OBE, who has been recognised for his exceptional contribution to international development.

AEMC forum sets the stage for a consumer driven future

CEPA’s Darryl Biggar accepted an invitation to present at the Australian Energy Market Commission’s recent Connecting Policy and Research Forum.

Women in Economics: Breaking Barriers Together

CEPA Senior Consultant Charlotte Hallam joined the panel for the Women in Economics event, along with female economists from the Bank of England, KPMG and the Fraser of Allander Institute.

DESNZ publishes CEPA’s report about Local Electricity Markets

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched its second consultation about the ongoing Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA).

Using reverse auctions for allocating public subsidies to promote mobile broadband coverage

Following the completion of its usual peer review process, The World Bank has published CEPA's report about the use of reverse auctions in the telecommunications sector.

Ireland’s energy security package to 2030

Managing energy security of supply while transitioning to a low carbon, renewables-led energy system is one of the critical challenges facing Irish policy makers.

Darryl Biggar presents at the ACCC/AER Annual Regulatory Conference

Darryl Biggar, a Senior Advisor at CEPA Australia, presents a session about market failure and reform of the childcare sector.

Sub-Saharan Africa, Agenda 2063, digital connectivity and gender: bridging digital gaps

We explore where Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) stands today in regard of digital connectivity and highlight digital gaps, in particular the gender digital divide.

Reputation acknowledged by ranking recognition

CEPA thanks those clients, industry leaders, associates and future economists for the feedback they provided to Consultancy.uk, resulting in the firm’s high-level, 2023 ranking as one of the “Top Economics consulting firms in the UK”.

Dr Darryl Biggar appointed to bolster CEPA Australia’s practice

CEPA is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Darryl Biggar as a senior advisor in its Australian practice.

Supporting the UK Government’s approach to community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure

Onshore electricity networks will play a critical role in achieving net zero and that requires transformation at unprecedented scale and pace.

LSE students present findings about biodiversity policy

We are pleased to have supported another cohort of students undertaking the Capstone Course at the London School of Economics (LSE). 

CEPA has again been recognised as one of the UK’s leading management consultants

We are grateful for the continued positive feedback from the market, which has led to CEPA retaining its position in the Financial Times' ratings.

Our report about using reverse auctions for allocating public subsidies to promote mobile broadband coverage is presented to government

Dr Chris Doyle, CEPA's Head of Telecoms, has presented the findings of our latest communications sector report, commissioned by The World Bank, to Tanzanian government officials.

Major review launched on energy security of supply in Ireland

We are supporting a major public consultation about the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems, being undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

CEPA recognised as one of the UK’s leading management consultants

Following another year of providing high-quality advice to our clients across our core sectors, we are grateful for the positive feedback from the market, which has led to CEPA’s inclusion in the Financial Times’ independent ratings report.

Initial insights published on price signals for demand-side flexibility in the GB energy market

CEPA and Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) have been appointed by BEIS to carry out a study on energy price signals, exploring what an alternative system of network and policy price signals might look like. CEPA and ESC held a webinar when the initial findings were presented.

Getting to net zero requires more policy experiments

A short note that proposes a greater role for deliberate policy experiments to help policy-makers and regulators identify the solutions that will best support decarbonisation at the lowest cost.

Locational energy pricing in the GB power market

Working with energy networks specialists TNEI, we have produced new research for Energy Systems Catapult on the role of locational energy prices in facilitating the decarbonisation of Britain’s energy system.

Ofgem’s interconnector policy review

We set out some important considerations to support Ofgem’s Interconnector Policy Review.

The new Build Back Better (B3W) initiative

In light of the recent announcements from the G7 regarding the B3W initiative, we have prepared a briefing note that focuses on how G7 countries can mobilise private finance for infrastructure in lower and middle income countries.

Independent review of water affordability

CCW, a body that represents water consumers in England and Wales, has published its review of the affordability support for financially vulnerable water customers.

A new approach to the financing of public infrastructure

A major impact of COVID-19 has been a significant increase in the amount of borrowing by the UK government. This will likely have reduced the fiscal headroom available to the government to deliver its desire to ‘level up’ through an expansive infrastructure programme.

Decarbonisation & sector integration

Consumers, policy makers and private businesses are focusing on decarbonising economic activity to limit the impact of climate change and to secure an environmentally sustainable future.

How to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles

We explore some of the questions on incentivising electric vehicle uptake and how to further consumer interest in zero carbon vehicles – a key question in recent policy discussions in the UK.

CEPA supports Australian distributed energy resource (DER) access & pricing conversations

The Australian Energy Market Commission engaged CEPA to identify options that could improve the integration of DER into the electricity system.

CEPA helps to define water poverty, understand future pressures & appraise UK water companies’ efforts

CEPA supports UK Water Industry Research with their work designed to help decision makers and water companies in making water and sewerage bills affordable and their ambition to achieve 'zero customers in water poverty by 2030'.

CEPA’s expansion continues across its offices

Increasing demand for CEPA's support and advice drives a growth in consulting team numbers.

Understanding the distributional impacts of time-of-use tariffs on consumers’ bills

The roll-out of smart meters capable of measuring half-hourly consumption presents a number of opportunities. If introduced alongside time-of-use tariffs ...

Highways benchmarking: pavement condition

CEPA, alongside TRL, have twice been commissioned by the Office of Rail and Road to assess how pavement condition is measured.

Emission controls on trucks in Britain

Ivan Viehoff's briefing note about emission controls, including decarbonisation, of freight transport in Britain over the next 30 years.

How to regulate fibre service providers

The New Zealand Commerce Commission published its emerging views on regulating the fibre service providers.

A guidance tool for National Infrastructure Banks and related facilities

We developed a reference tool which examined areas where National Infrastructure Banks could play a catalytic role.

Mobilising finance for infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia

Our research for DFID highlighted the need for public institutions to create bankable infrastructure projects to unlock funds available from the private sector.

Financing UK infrastructure

Our review of private financing for infrastructure contributed to the national infrastructure debate on what role the public and private sectors should have in developing...

Strategic support to the Private Infrastructure Development Group

We advised the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) to focus on addressing project development constraints and facilitate local currency finance under its new Five-Year Strategic Plan.

Setting Highways England’s Performance Specification

CEPA has been advising the Department for Transport about how to set the performance regime which is used to monitor and assess the performance of Highways England.

Global Infrastructure Hub Consultation

A draft guidance note developed by the Global Infrastructure Hub in collaboration with CEPA, has been published for consultation.

CEPA feature as a guest speaker at annual energy conference

Ben Shafran, a consultant who specialises in energy policy and regulation, will feature as a guest speaker at the 2019 UKERC Annual Conference.

Efficiency incentives to apply to the economic regulation of Heathrow

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published a report by CEPA alongside its policy update and consultation on the economic regulation of capacity expansion at Heathrow Airport (CAP 1782).

Some lessons from technology-neutral auctions for low-carbon electricity generation

In this briefing note, we explore how successful technology-neutral auctions for electricity generation have been in the past and discuss some key lessons.

The Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland publishes domestic consumer insight tracker findings

The Utility Regulator (UR) in Northern Ireland has published the results of its first Consumer Insight Tracker Survey.

Capacity Auction Monitoring in Ireland & Northern Ireland

Since 2017, we have been the Capacity Auction Monitor (“Monitor”) for the Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) for the Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM).

Cost-benefit analysis of new interconnectors in Ireland

Our cost-benefit analysis for the electricity interconnectors demonstrated that increasing the interconnection of Ireland to other markets is expensive but the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs.

Publication of an issues paper on public transport fares in Sydney

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has published an issues paper as part of a major review of public transport fares in Sydney and surrounding areas.

Estimating the value of lost load for electricity in Europe

We were asked by the Agency for the Co-operation of Energy Regulators (ACER) to conduct a study on the estimation of the value of lost load (VoLL) for electricity supply in Europe.

Reducing the environmental impact of freight in the UK

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) published their final report "Better Delivery: the challenge for freight" on 17 April 2019.

Senior hire to meet demand from energy companies and regulators worldwide

CEPA today welcomes Gary Keane as a director to the consulting firm’s London headquarters.

The capacity market five-year review - some key questions

Some of the key questions that stakeholders should be asking as part of the UK Government's much-anticipated review of the electricity capacity market are set out in a briefing note.

Airport capacity strategy

CEPA’s contribution to this study on delivering the future airport capacity requirements in Ireland for the Irish Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport set out the decisions Ireland has to make - and the timing - to come to a good decision on the future capacity requirements of Dublin Airport.

Cybersecurity in the energy sector: what does it mean for network regulation?

Read our briefing note to learn more about what the key issues might be in the next RIIO price controls.

Insights report for the ongoing evaluation of AusNet Services trial of the New Reg process

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has today published a second insights report that CEPA has prepared for the ongoing evaluation of AusNet Services trial of the New Reg process.

RIIO-1 price control framework and performance review

Ahead of the RIIO-2 price controls, Ofgem wanted to gather insights on the outcomes of the RIIO-1 regulatory framework. At the end of 2017, the regulator commissioned CEPA to review the RIIO price control framework applied to the first set of RIIO price controls.

What should regulators make of big data?

In almost every market one can think of, people are talking about the application of big data analytics and machine learning. Energy and other utilities are no different.

Going electric: How to incentivise the efficient deployment of electric vehicles

In our briefing, we examine how the regulatory framework implied by Ofgem’s strategy would affect one of the main drivers of the change: electric vehicles (EVs).

Positive winds for offshore - But don’t get blown over just yet

Following the announcement of the results for Round 2 of the CfD auction, we explore in this briefing what they mean for the offshore wind energy sector and the deployment of renewable electricity generation.

Approach to customer segmentation in the water sector

CEPA was engaged by Ofwat to build an evidence base on approaches to customer segmentation and possible data sources to inform approaches to residential customer segmentation.

Value-chain analysis to support investment in agribusiness

CEPA worked with the IFC and the Global Food and Agriculture Security Programme (GAFSP) to complete comprehensive agricultural value-chain assessments in Cote d’Ivoire,...

Evaluating the social and economic impact of investments in wastewater

CEPA conducted a literature review of methodological approaches to evaluate economic and social impact of investments in the wastewater sector.

Review of readiness for retail market opening

CEPA was appointed by Ofwat to carry out a targeted review of market participants’ readiness for opening of the retail market in April 2017 for...

Enabling flexibility in the GB electricity market

The advice provided to a GB electricity distribution company in relation to smart networks and flexible energy systems helped our client advance their position with the regulator and government.

Alternative approaches for setting the cost of debt

CEPA were commissioned by two UK economic regulators to look at alternative approaches that could be used in regulatory determinations for the cost of debt allowance.

Estimating a shadow value of water

CEPA were appointed by the EBRD to support them in developing estimates of an economic value of water, reflecting the full social costs of water...

Financial and economic analysis of Morocco’s water leakage reduction objective

CEPA was hired by the World Bank to review Morocco's submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Merger support in the water sector

CEPA supported Ofwat in the CMA inquiry into the merger of South West Water and Bournemouth Water.

Informing the development of water access charging methodologies

CEPA was commissioned by CC Water to provide a report on possible approaches to access pricing in the water sector in light of the reforms being introduced to make the sector more competitive.