FRONTIER METHODOLOGIES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF EFFICIENCIES IN DISTRIBUTION COSTS¹

METODOLOGÍAS FRONTERAS PARA LA DETERMINACIÓN DE EFICIENCIA EN COSTOS DE DISTRIBUCIÓN

Raúl Sanhueza Hormazábal²    Hugh Rudnick Van de Wyngard³

1 This work was supported by Fondecyt 1040339 and Universidad de Tarapacá Project 8721-05 and 8723-06.

2 Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Eléctrica - Electrónica. Universidad de Tarapacá. Arica, Chile. E-mail: sanhueza@uta.cl

3 Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Casilla 306, Correo 22. Santiago , Chile . E-mail: h.rudnick@ieee.org

RESUMEN

Este trabajo analiza la eficiencia de empresas de distribución eléctrica, bajo el punto de vista del criterio de la eficiencia productiva. La metodología de análisis consiste en la estimación de funciones de costo de producción frontera, una paramétrica y otra no paramétrica. A partir de las mismas se obtienen dos medidas de la eficiencia técnica individual de cada explotación, lo que deja en evidencia acciones y estrategias que conducen a una reducción de costos para las empresas de distribución. Se ilustra su aplicación dentro del marco del último proceso regulatorio chileno.

Palabras clave: Sistemas de distribución, regulación de sistemas de distribución, fronteras de eficiencias, fronteras estocásticas, análisis envolvente de datos.

ABSTRACT

The efficiency of electric distribution companies is assessed under a productive efficiency criterion viewpoint. The analysis methodology consists of the estimation of frontier production costs functions; a parametric and a non parametric function. Two individual technical efficiency measurements for the distribution business are obtained from these functions. The assessment confirms actions and strategies that result in cost reductions in distribution companies. An application within the framework of the last Chilean regulatory process is illustrated in this work.

Keywords: Distribution companies, distribution regulation, benchmark regulation, data envelopment analysis, efficiency frontiers, stochastic frontiers.

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Recibido el 28 de diciembre de 2006, aceptado el 8 de agosto de 2007