Philip Wright

SulfoSYS (Sulfolobus Systems Biology): towards a silicon cell model for the central carbohydrate metabolism of the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus under temperature variation

SulfoSYS (Sulfolobus Systems Biology) focuses on the study of the CCM (central carbohydrate metabolism) of Sulfolobus solfataricus and its regulation under temperature variation at the systems level. In Archaea, carbohydrates are metabolized by modifications of the classical pathways known from Bacteria or Eukarya, e.g. the unusual branched ED (Entner-Doudoroff) pathway, which is utilized for glucose degradation in S. solfataricus. This archaeal model organism of choice is a thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon that optimally grows at 80 degrees C (60-92 degrees C) and pH 2-4. In general, life at high temperature requires very efficient adaptation to temperature changes, which is most difficult to deal with for organisms, and it is unclear how biological networks can withstand and respond to such changes. This integrative project combines genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic, as well as kinetic and biochemical information. The final goal of SulfoSYS is the construction of a silicon cell model for this part of the living cell that will enable computation of the CCM network. In the present paper, we report on one of the first archaeal systems biology projects.

Electricity consumers under the state and the private sector: comparing the price performance of the French and UK electricity industries 1990-2000

Abstract Particularly because a preoccupation with process has tended to dominate the debate about electricity privatisation and liberalisation, this paper focuses on price outcomes by comparing the relative price performance of the French and UK electricity industries between 1990 and 2000. The main conclusion is that in 1990 the state-owned French electricity industry was performing better for most consumers than the state-owned UK industry, and a decade later it was still doing so with respect to the privately-owned UK industry. While this conclusion could be qualified by saying that, heavily prompted or assisted by the Regulator, the UK privately-owned industry has shown itself capable of achieving faster reductions in prices to close the gap between itself and the French, this achievement has been concentrated in the industrial market and even there the very significant gains were mainly restricted to the very largest consumers. In the context of the European Union the UK is shown to have performed relatively poorly for the smallest domestic consumers and, while both countries did much better in the rankings of industrial prices, they were still a long way behind the top performers.

Profitability and taxation in the UKCS oil and gas industry: analysing the distribution of rewards between company and country

Abstract Against the background of record levels of UK hydrocarbon production and a government review of the UKCS tax regime, this paper provides evidence that the government’s share of UKCS profits is very low by historical and international standards and demonstrates that the current tax regime is extremely weak. The justification for the latter is then challenged by assessing the relative profitability of UKCS companies, using data from UK national accounts and from Form 10-K and Form 20-F company reports and analysing both accounting profits and forecast discounted cash flow. This shows that companies operating on the UKCS enjoy substantially higher profitability relative to both other UK companies and other oil and gas provinces elsewhere in the world. Further evidence of the weakness of the UK regime is provided by a comparison with the Norwegian oil and gas tax regime. The paper therefore makes a strong case for the reform of the UKCS tax regime.

The impact of oil company investment on the world coal industry : Overcapacity and price destabilization 1973-1992

This paper investigates the impact of oil company investments on the world coal industry since the first oil price shock of 1973. It details the scope of these investments, both in the USA and elsewhere, and demonstrates how they have served to destabilize and depress international coal prices. In particular it establishes a novel and robust link between oil company investment in US coal which is sold on the domestic market and the behaviour of US coal export prices.

World coal and UK energy policy: A company level perspective

Abstract As a contribution to the debate about the future of the UK coal industry this paper provides an overview of the corporate structure of the world coal industry, detailing company diversification, ownership, transnationality, concentration of production and profitability. Its main argument, which has a strong bearing on coal import policy, is that whereas the world coal industry and international trade currently exhibit all the signs of overproduction, hypercompetition and declining profitability, there is no reason to assume that this is a stable scenario. The company structure of the export sector variously indicates a potential for supply disruption, cost escalation and informal collusion, all of which have implications for the future level of prices — particularly as the market tightens once so-called ‘marginal’ producers like the UK are knocked out of the market.

The impact of liberalisation on the corporate structure of the natural gas industry in North America: its relevance to possible futures for European natural gas

Drawing on extensive empirical research over the last decade, this paper analyses the changes in the corporate structure of the North American natural gas industry which have been stimulated by liberalisation, and considers whether they are likely to be imitated in the context of the increasing pace of European liberalisation as the European Natural Gas Directive comes into force. It finds that the European context differs in very significant respects from that of North America such that, whereas horizontal integration to re-establish market power has been a significant response to liberalisation in North America, incumbents in Europe will still be able to benefit from market power derived from vertical integration for some time to come.