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Did English Generators Play Cournot? Capacity withholding in the Electricity Pool

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  • Richard Green

    (University of Hull Business School University of Hull)

Abstract

Electricity generators can raise the price of power by withholding their plant from the market. We discuss two ways in which this could have affected prices in the England and Wales Pool. Withholding low-cost capacity which should be generating will raise energy prices but make the pattern of generation less efficient. This pattern improved significantly after privatisation. Withholding capacity that was not expected to generate would raise the Capacity Payments based on spare capacity. On a multi-year basis, these did not usually exceed “competitive” levels, the cost of keeping stations open. The evidence for large-scale capacity withholding is weak.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Green, 2004. "Did English Generators Play Cournot? Capacity withholding in the Electricity Pool," Working Papers EP41, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:enp:wpaper:ep41
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    Cited by:

    1. José Guillermo Ariza Estévez, 2014. "Impacto sobre el bienestar social atribuido al fenómeno El Nino (ENOS) y al proceso de cambio climático. Un análisis sobre el mercado de energía colombiano," Revista Lebret, Universidad Santo Tomás - Bucaramanga, vol. 6, pages 61-86, December.
    2. Roques, F. & Newbery, D.M. & Nuttall, W.J., 2004. "Generation Adequacy and Investment Incentives in Britain: from the Pool to NETA," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0459, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    3. van Koten, Silvester & Ortmann, Andreas, 2013. "Structural versus behavioral remedies in the deregulation of electricity markets: An experimental investigation motivated by policy concerns," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 256-265.
    4. Janssen, Matthias & Wobben, Magnus, 2008. "Electricity pricing and market power: Evidence from Germany," CAWM Discussion Papers 9, University of Münster, Münster Center for Economic Policy (MEP).
    5. Jan Kwakkel & Gönenç Yücel, 2014. "An Exploratory Analysis of the Dutch Electricity System in Transition," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 5(4), pages 670-685, December.
    6. Milstein, Irena & Tishler, Asher, 2012. "The inevitability of capacity underinvestment in competitive electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 62-77.
    7. Sherzod Tashpulatov & Lubomir Lizal, 2012. "Can Producers Apply a Capacity Cutting Strategy to Increase Prices? The Case of the England and Wales Electricity Market," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp465, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    8. Milstein, Irena & Tishler, Asher, 2015. "Can price volatility enhance market power? The case of renewable technologies in competitive electricity markets," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 70-90.
    9. SMEERS, Yves, 2005. "How well can one measure market power in restructured electricity systems ?," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2005050, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    10. Tishler, Asher & Milstein, Irena & Woo, Chi-Keung, 2008. "Capacity commitment and price volatility in a competitive electricity market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 1625-1647, July.
    11. Pinho, Joana & Resende, Joana & Soares, Isabel, 2018. "Capacity investment in electricity markets under supply and demand uncertainty," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 1006-1017.
    12. Karakatsani Nektaria V & Bunn Derek W., 2010. "Fundamental and Behavioural Drivers of Electricity Price Volatility," Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(4), pages 1-42, September.
    13. Roques, Fabien A., 2008. "Market design for generation adequacy: Healing causes rather than symptoms," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 171-183, September.
    14. Prüggler, Natalie & Prüggler, Wolfgang & Wirl, Franz, 2011. "Storage and Demand Side Management as power generator’s strategic instruments to influence demand and prices," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 6308-6317.
    15. Milstein, Irena & Tishler, Asher, 2011. "Intermittently renewable energy, optimal capacity mix and prices in a deregulated electricity market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 3922-3927, July.
    16. Sara Fogelberg and Ewa Lazarczyk, 2019. "Strategic Withholding through Production Failures," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 5).
    17. Fernando J. Lanas & Francisco J. Martínez-Conde & Diego Alvarado & Rodrigo Moreno & Patricio Mendoza-Araya & Guillermo Jiménez-Estévez, 2020. "Non-Strategic Capacity Withholding from Distributed Energy Storage within Microgrids Providing Energy and Reserve Services," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, October.
    18. Andrew Sweeting, 2007. "Market Power In The England And Wales Wholesale Electricity Market 1995-2000," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(520), pages 654-685, April.
    19. Bajo-Buenestado, Raúl, 2017. "Welfare implications of capacity payments in a price-capped electricity sector: A case study of the Texas market (ERCOT)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 272-285.
    20. Janssen, Matthias & Wobben, Magnus, 2008. "Electricity Pricing and Market Power - Evidence from Germany," MPRA Paper 11400, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Mendes, Carla & Soares, Isabel, 2014. "Renewable energies impacting the optimal generation mix: The case of the Iberian Electricity Market," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 23-33.
    22. Matthias Janssen & Magnus Wobben, "undated". "Electricity Pricing and Market Power - Evidence from Germany," Working Papers 200121, Institute of Spatial and Housing Economics, Munster Universitary.
    23. Batlle, C. & Rodilla, P., 2010. "A critical assessment of the different approaches aimed to secure electricity generation supply," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 7169-7179, November.
    24. Derek W. Bunn & Fernando S. Oliveira, 2008. "Modeling the Impact of Market Interventions on the Strategic Evolution of Electricity Markets," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(5), pages 1116-1130, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Electricity prices; Cournot competition; capacity withholding;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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