Utilities Reform in Europe

Utilities Reform in Europe PDF Author: David Coen
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781590330647
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
Public utilities constitute a large section of Europe' economy, and they have historically been at the centre of national states and their industrial strategies. However, the recent creation of the single market and the liberalisation of European utility sectors have resulted in an expansion of EU/EC economic regulation. This book examines the interaction among the economic and political actors and raises questions regarding the format regulation. The chapters discuss the history of utilities reform, assess the nature of the changes, and address the issues of institutional modification. Four themes emerge from the collection -- the characteristics of Europe-wide reform, the nature of national variance, cross-sectional variations, and the institutional arrangements that can emerge to accommodate the regulatory regime.

Electricity Reform in Europe

Electricity Reform in Europe PDF Author: Jean-Michel Glachant
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1848446055
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
. . . this volume comes across as one of the most profound sources on the specifics of European electricity market restructuring. Competition and Regulation in Network Industries The SESSA study on the Internal Energy Market was an important and influential contribution towards the Commission s proposal for a third package of proposals, intending to bring more effective competition and better security of supply to Europe s energy markets. This volume, based on the results of the study is an important and welcome contribution to the ongoing debate on these proposals. Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Energy at the European Commission The chapters in this book are written by the leading European scholars who have studied the structure, behavior and performance of liberalised electricity markets in many European countries as well as in other regions of the world. Both the analyses and the policy recommendations contained in this volume are well worth careful consideration by policymakers in Europe, as well as by policymakers in other countries that are seeking to adopt successful electricity sector liberalisation programs. From the foreword by Paul L. Joskow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US Dynamism or dissipation? Competition or national champions? Will enlargement promote or delay reform? Energy economists contemplate the challenges posed by the restless and discontent European Commission. Stephen Littlechild, University of Birmingham and Judge Institute for Management Studies, University of Cambridge, UK The challenge of European electricity reform is being met, although gradually, delays notwithstanding. This book provides precious help in spotting where the necessary further efforts should be directed. In the US mistakes and delays have occurred, no less than in Europe, but an aggressive federal regulator (absent in Europe) is working to overcome them. Electricity markets do not happen, they have to be built. Here are suggestions for a workable European market design. No ideology, just competence and wisdom from both theory and experience. Will Europe learn? Pippo Ranci, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy The realisation of a European internal market for energy is still a work in progress. Written by leading European scholars and discussed with major energy stakeholders, this book presents a thorough analysis of the motives and methods needed to achieve a single European energy market. The authors discuss the critical issues surrounding an internal European energy market including: market design, competition and market power, sustainable energy versus the market, regulation and harmonisation, benchmarking and indicators, modelling of competition, market prices and energy forecasts. They provide a multi-disciplinary assessment of the best way to build the market base of a future European energy policy. Electricity Reform in Europe will be of great interest to decision makers and managers in the energy industry or business sector as they will be able to see the whole European energy policy picture beyond their own corporate interests. The book will also appeal to national and European energy administrations, regulatory bodies and policy makers providing a synthesis of all relevant policy issues.

People and Power

People and Power PDF Author: Julian A. Lampietti
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821366343
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Empirical insights on household behavior and electricity consumption patterns in this book reveal that, in Europe and Central Asia, the erosion of tariff based subsidies has disproportionately affected the poor, while direct transfers through social benefit systems have often been inadequately targeted. The book suggests alternative strategies for achieving cost-recovery in the electricity sector in a socially and politically acceptable manner, providing lessons that are equally relevant for other utilities and regions.

Refining Regulatory Regimes

Refining Regulatory Regimes PDF Author: David Coen
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781845428006
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
With regulation seeking to foster competition at the same time as also having to protect essential services, the authors investigate regulatory styles, costs of new regulatory functions and how firms in the new regulatory landscape access and influence regulatory authorities. The authors consider how EU pressures may hinder or help the functioning of new regulatory markets and the establishment of business-regulator relationships, as well as the broader policy implications for these new regulatory environments. The book also determines how regulatory authorities emerge and evolve under different state traditions and assesses, over time, the degree to which there is potential for convergence, divergence and continued differences as regulatory functions mature.

National Reforms in European Gas

National Reforms in European Gas PDF Author: M. Arentsen
Publisher: Gulf Professional Publishing
ISBN: 0080537294
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Focussing on the change and development of national gas markets in Europe, this book provides an overview, analysis and comparison of recent dynamics in several national gas markets, at a time of very rapid change within this industry. This overview provides a better understanding of current events and future evolution in the European gas business. What can be expected at the European level given the recent trends and dynamics in national gas markets in Europe? How did countries respond to the EU gas directive and why? What are the important barriers to a harmonised European gas market from the perspective of national developments? This book tackles these and related questions. Written by experts across the field of energy policy and reform, this publication will be an invaluable resource for social scientists studying the ongoing reform process in energy markets as well as industry analysts, consultants, policy makers and utility companies worldwide.

Energy Tax and Regulatory Policy in Europe

Energy Tax and Regulatory Policy in Europe PDF Author: Ian Parry
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262340909
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
Concise introductions to the main issues in energy policy and their interaction with environmental policies in the EU. The European Union (EU) faces critical challenges in energy policy making, the most pressing of which are how to achieve the deep greenhouse gas reductions promised at the December 2015 UN Conference of the Parties in Paris, and how this effort can be coordinated with already existing policies. Energy policy is primarily a member state responsibility, and policy makers need an overarching view of the main issues in energy policy and their interaction with environmental policies. This volume aims to fill this need, offering concise introductions to some of the major issues as well as practical suggestions for policy making. The contributors discuss reforms to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the world's largest carbon market; ways to improve the operation and integration of the EU's power grids, in terms of both supply and demand; changes to the EU's Energy Tax Directive, which sets tax floors for fuels outside the ETS; the coordination of climate policies with policies to promote renewables and energy efficiency; research into clean technology; challenges to shale gas development; and transportation policy and the need for action on such externalities as traffic congestion. Finally, contributors consider obstacles to reform, including its potential effects on vulnerable households and energy-intensive industries. Contributors Mikael Skou Andersen, Niels Anger, Bruno De Borger, Antoine Dechezleprêtre, Jos Delbeke, Ottmar Edenhofer, Christian Flachsland, Beatriz Gaitan, Polona Gregorin, Cameron Hepburn, Alan Krupnick, Andreas Löschel, Claudio Marcantonini, Felix Christian Matthes, Paul Nahmmacher, Ian Parry, Karen Pittel, David Popp, Stef Proost, Christina Roolfs, Bert Saveyn, Oliver Schenker, Stephen Smith, Alexander Teytelboym, Kurt Van Dender, Herman Vollebergh, Nils-Henrik M. von der Fehr, Zhongmin Wang, Georg Zachmann

Regulatory Reform

Regulatory Reform PDF Author: Jochen Hierl
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The countries of Continental Europe have started the process of reforming their natural gas markets. This book sets the context for, and considers the issues raised by, these reforms. It also analyses the key elements of effective reform, such as third party access to the gas infrastructure. Unlike earlier reformers, Europe faces important challenges of growing import dependency and reliance on a few large producer countries, against a background of strong demand growth. It is vital that both short and long term security of supply are sustained in the new market conditions. At the same time a key objective of reform is to improve economic efficiency through competition and short term trade, in order to reduce prices for natural gas consumers. The book argues that security and competition are not incompatible, and that security can be enhanced by competition provided that reform is handled with care. As Europe implements the EU Gas Directive, this book is a timely review for energy policy makers and others involved in the reform process. It is the latest in a series of IEA publications on energy market reforms.

The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities

The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities PDF Author: Judith Clifton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317981618
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
Utilities have long been essential for societies, supplying basic services for nations, organizations and households alike. The proper functioning and regulation of utilities is therefore critical for the economy, society and security. History provides an invaluable insight into important issues of the economic and social regulation of utilities and offers guidance for future debates. However, the history of utility regulation – which speaks of changing, diverse and complex experiences around the world – was sidelined or marginalised when economists and policy-makers enthusiastically embraced the question of how to reform the utilities from the 1970s. This book examines in depth the complex regulation and deregulation of energy, communications, transportation and water utilities across Western Europe, the United States, Australia, Brazil, China and India. In each case, attention is drawn to the changing roles of the state, the market and firms in the regulation, organization and delivery of utility services. This book was originally published as a special issue of Business History.

Electricity Markets and Reforms in Europe

Electricity Markets and Reforms in Europe PDF Author: Milica Uvalić
Publisher: FrancoAngeli
ISBN: 8856848112
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description


Network Industries and Social Welfare

Network Industries and Social Welfare PDF Author: Massimo Florio
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 019166250X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
A dramatic change of ownership, regulation, and organisation of essential public services, such as electricity, gas, and telecommunications, has taken place in Europe in less than 20 years. This was not the outcome of spontaneous adaptation, but an entirely top-down policy experiment, mainly conceived in London during Mrs Thatcher's years, then pursued in Brussels - the 'capital' of the European Union - and imposed on more or less reluctant players by laws, directives, regulations, and administrative and judicial decisions. The European reform paradigm revolves around three pillars: privatisation, unbundling, and regulated liberalisation of network industries. These industries, despite the reforms, are still special, as they include core natural monopoly components (the electricity grid, the gas pipelines, the telephony networks, etc.), are often based on complex system integration of different segments (for example of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and retail supply), and offer services that have critical social and economic importance, from heating to internet. This book offers a careful scrutiny of energy and telephony reforms and prices paid by households in 15 countries across Western Europe. It attempts to answer such questions as: Are the consumers in Europe happier than they were before the reforms? Do they pay less? Do they get a better quality for the services? Network Industries and Social Welfare provides an overview of the main facts, the conceptual issues, and of the empirical evidence on pricing, perceptions of quality of service, and the issues of utility poverty and social affordability. It suggests that the benefits of the reforms for the consumers have often been limited and that governments should reconsider their overconfidence in regulated market mechanisms in network industries.