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How competitive are EU electricity markets? An assessment of ETS Phase II

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  • Castagneto-Gissey, Giorgio

Abstract

This paper studies the interactions between electricity and carbon allowance prices in the year-ahead energy markets of France, Germany, United Kingdom and the Nordic countries, during Phase II of the EU ETS. VAR and Granger-causality methods are used to analyze causal interfaces, whereas the volatility of electricity prices is studied with basic and asymmetric AR-GARCH models. Among the main results, the marginal rate at which carbon prices feed into electricity prices is shown to be ca. 135% in the EEX and Nord Pool markets, where electricity and carbon prices display bidirectional causality, and 109% in the UK. Therefore, generators in these markets internalized the cost of freely allotted emission allowances into their electricity prices considerably more than the proportionate increase in costs justified by effective carbon intensity. Moreover, electricity prices in France are found to Granger-cause the carbon price. This study also shows how European electricity prices are deeply linked to coal prices among other factors, both in terms of levels and volatility, regardless of the underlying fuel mix, and that coal was marginally more profitable than gas for electricity generation. EU policies aimed at increasing the carbon price are likely to be crucial in limiting the externalities involved in the transition to a low-carbon system.

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  • Castagneto-Gissey, Giorgio, 2014. "How competitive are EU electricity markets? An assessment of ETS Phase II," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 278-297.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:73:y:2014:i:c:p:278-297
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2014.06.015
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    4. Bowei Guo & Giorgio Castagneto Gissey, 2019. "Cost Pass-through in the British Wholesale Electricity Market: Implications of Brexit and the ETS reform," Working Papers EPRG1937, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
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    7. de Menezes, Lilian M. & Houllier, Melanie A. & Tamvakis, Michael, 2016. "Time-varying convergence in European electricity spot markets and their association with carbon and fuel prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 613-627.
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    11. de Menezes, Lilian M. & Houllier, Melanie A., 2015. "Germany's nuclear power plant closures and the integration of electricity markets in Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 357-368.
    12. Yeonjeong Lee & Seong-Min Yoon, 2020. "Dynamic Spillover and Hedging among Carbon, Biofuel and Oil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    13. Wang, M. & Zhou, P., 2017. "Does emission permit allocation affect CO2 cost pass-through? A theoretical analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 140-146.
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