Las inversiones de largo plazo y los mercados eléctricos

Do the wholesale market prices of electric power ensure a long-term balance between supply and demand with no danger of physical restrictions, or are further interventions necessary? This article outlines some answers to this question. First it analyses the characteristics of the price of electricity as a commodity and the relationship between short and long-term prices. The second section describes the regulated intervention methods which have been used in an attempt to resolve the shortfalls of spot markets. Section three looks at the conditions under which market solutions could be applied to balance supply and demand in the short and long term, and to ensure the security required for the balanced operation of the transmission network. The last section gives a summary of the main conclusions.