Electric and natural gas are the two major sources of energy for residents of Washington State. Several states have adopted a policy whereby utility companies decide on the choice of mixes of resources by incorporating cost effectiveness, conservation and externalities. Externalities could...

This paper, a synthesis of a broader work-team previously published in 2007 [1], is focused on two main issues: the reaction of public utilities to the new geopolitical context and to the latest national legislative framework, and the SWOT analysis for the energy sector and the public utilities...

In the past two decades privatisation and liberalisation of network industries providing services of general economic interest (SGEI), have been particularly significant in the European Union. Wide variations around a common policy trend can, however, be observed across countries and sectors. We...

We analyze the evaluations of California energy-efficiency programs to assess the effectiveness of these evaluations in: 1) improving our understanding of their performance and 2) providing a check on utility incentives to overstate energy savings. We find that third-party evaluations are useful...

Este trabajo analiza la necesidad de efectuar descuentos a las tarifas reguladas de servicios básicos, cuando la empresa provee al mismo tiempo servicios no regulados. La forma de realizar estos descuentos ha representado una fuente permanente de discrepancias entre la autoridad regulatoria y...

This paper aims to compare how two countries are facing the challenges of energy security of supply. Mexico, a member of NAFTA and a neighbour of the United States, has oil resources and is thinking how to answer to the increasing energy demand. France, one of the 27 member states of the...

Worldwide, for the last two decades, energy network industries have undergone major changes in terms of organization and competitiveness. After restructuring reforms in the transportation, telecom and natural gas sectors, deregulatory initiatives have been taken in the electric power industry to...

Ce rapport est consacré à l'analyse économique des marchés français et européen de l'électricité et du gaz naturel. Dans la première partie du rapport, les auteurs présentent le contexte énergétique mondial avec la place prise par les problèmes environnementaux dans l'utilisation de...

This paper analyses mergers between gas and electricity activities, a "conglomerate relationship" in the Commission lingo. We first review the paradigmatic case of the recent failed takeover on Endesa by Gas Natural in Spain. Then, we detail a model of imperfect competition combining four...

This chapter discusses the implications of an increasing proportion of renewable energy for the way in which energy companies are regulated. While the scope of regulation varies from country to country, depending on the degree of liberalisation, an increase in the overall cost of energy, and a...