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Strategic Forward Contracting in the Wholesale Electricity Market

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  • Pär Holmberg

Abstract

This paper analyses a wholesale electricity market with supply function competition. Trade in the forward and spot markets is represented by a two-stage game, and its subgame perfect Nash equilibrium (SPNE) is characterized. It is verified that increased forward sales of a producer constitute a credible commitment to aggressive spot market bidding. The paper identifies market situations when this pro-competitive commitment is unilaterally profitable for the producer. It is also proven that a producer has incentives to sell in the forward market in order to reduce competitors' forward sales, which softens their spot market offers.

Suggested Citation

  • Pär Holmberg, 2011. "Strategic Forward Contracting in the Wholesale Electricity Market," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1), pages 169-202.
    • Handle: RePEc:aen:journl:2011v32-01-a07
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. de Frutos, María-Ángeles & Fabra, Natalia, 2012. "How to allocate forward contracts: The case of electricity markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 451-469.
    2. Weigt, H. & Willems, Bert, 2011. "The Effect of Divestitures in the German Electricity Market," Other publications TiSEM 7bbea5b0-7489-416f-8767-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Wölfing, Nikolas, 2019. "Forward trading and collusion in supply functions," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-003, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Thomas P. Tangerås & Johannes Mauritzen, 2018. "Real‐time versus day‐ahead market power in a hydro‐based electricity market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(4), pages 904-941, December.
    5. Holmberg, Pär & Willems, Bert, 2015. "Relaxing competition through speculation: Committing to a negative supply slope," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 159(PA), pages 236-266.
    6. Johanndeiter, Silke & Bertsch, Valentin, 2024. "Bidding zero? An analysis of solar power plants’ price bids in the electricity day-ahead market," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    7. David P. Brown & David E. M. Sappington, 2023. "Employing gain-sharing regulation to promote forward contracting in the electricity sector," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 30-56, April.
    8. Di Cosmo, Valeria & Lynch, Muireann Á., 2016. "Competition and the single electricity market: Which lessons for Ireland?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 40-47.
    9. David P. Brown & Andrew Eckert, 2018. "Analyzing the Impact of Electricity Market Structure Changes and Mergers: The Importance of Forward Commitments," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 52(1), pages 101-137, February.
    10. Anderson, Edward & Holmberg, Pär, 2018. "Price instability in multi-unit auctions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 318-341.
    11. David P. Brown & David E. M. Sappington, 2023. "Market Structure, Risk Preferences, and Forward Contracting Incentives," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(4), pages 1146-1202, December.
    12. Jesús M. López-Lezama & David Tobón-Orozco & Esteban Velilla & Jorge Barrientos & Fernando Villada, 2018. "Long-term seasonal forwards in electricity generation markets: an application to Colombia," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 37(74), pages 314-287, July.
    13. David P. Brown & David E. M. Sappington, 2023. "Load-Following Forward Contracts," The Energy Journal, , vol. 44(3), pages 187-222, May.
    14. Jacqueline Adelowo & Moritz Bohland, 2023. "It’s in the Data – Improved Market Power Mitigation in Electricity Markets," EconPol Forum, CESifo, vol. 24(05), pages 46-51, September.
    15. Dressler, Luisa, 2016. "Support schemes for renewable electricity in the European Union: Producer strategies and competition," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 186-196.
    16. Yukihide Kurakawa & Makoto Tanaka, 2023. "Impacts of market power in the day-ahead electricity market on incentive-based demand response," RIEEM Discussion Paper Series 2303, Research Institute for Environmental Economics and Management, Waseda University.
    17. Bastian Henze & Charles Noussair & Bert Willems, 2012. "Regulation of network infrastructure investments: an experimental evaluation," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 1-38, August.
    18. Van Moer, Geert, 2019. "Electricity market competition when forward contracts are pairwise efficient," MPRA Paper 96660, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Álvarez-Uribe, Karla C. & Arango-Aramburo, Santiago & Larsen, Erik R., 2018. "Forward contracts in electricity markets and capacity investment: A simulation study," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-10.
    20. Mulder, Machiel & Petrikaitė, Vaiva & Scholtens, Bert, 2015. "Distributed energy generation techniques and the competitive fringe effect in electricity markets," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 125-140.
    21. Jacqueline Adelowo & Moritz Bohland, 2022. "Redesigning Automated Market Power Mitigation in Electricity Markets," ifo Working Paper Series 387, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    22. Zhao, Wenhui & Zhang, Jiuyang & Li, Ruan & Zha, Ruiming, 2021. "A transaction case analysis of the development of generation rights trading and existing shortages in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    23. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew & Silveira, Douglas, 2023. "Screening for Collusion in Wholesale Electricity Markets: A Review of the Literature," Working Papers 2023-7, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    24. Tangerås, Thomas & Wolak, Frank A., 2017. "The Competitive Effects of Linking Electricity Markets Across Space and Time," Working Paper Series 1184, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    25. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew & Silveira, Douglas, 2023. "Screening for collusion in wholesale electricity markets: A literature review," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

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