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The European natural gas market is in a state of flux. In order to better secure the public service obligations - supply security, competitiveness and sustainability - this market is currently being liberalized. This requires significant structural and regulatory reform. This reform process is not yet finished; the European gas market finds itself in a transition phase from the traditional managed market structure towards an internal European gas market which is governed by competitive forces. In such a transition phase, problems and tensions are inevitable. This study assesses the adequacy of the current approach towards structural and regulatory reform of the European gas market in light of the changes that are taking place on this market. These changes create a new context for gas regulation. Given the vital role of investments in securing any of the public service obligations, the analysis is conducted from the perspective of ensuring sufficient investments. The theoretical part criticizes the current neoclassical approach towards reform and argues that the transaction cost perspective will result in better outcomes in terms of market behavior in the new regulatory context. The empirical part undertakes case studies on two recent amendments to gas regulation - the possibility for certain investments to be exempted from the provisions to provide third party access, and the enlarged scope for concluding downstream long-term gas supply contracts - in order to assess whether the theoretical critique is also valid in practice. Both case studies confirm the theoretical critique. The current regulatory approach appears to be stuck between the neoclassical and the transaction cost perspective. Recommendations are provided in order to better align current regulation with the insights provided by Transaction Cost Economics.
The countries of Continental Europe have started the process of reforming their natural gas markets. This book sets the context for, and considers the issues raised by, these reforms. It also analyses the key elements of effective reform, such as third party access to the gas infrastructure. Unlike earlier reformers, Europe faces important challenges of growing import dependency and reliance on a few large producer countries, against a background of strong demand growth. It is vital that both short and long term security of supply are sustained in the new market conditions. At the same time a key objective of reform is to improve economic efficiency through competition and short term trade, in order to reduce prices for natural gas consumers. The book argues that security and competition are not incompatible, and that security can be enhanced by competition provided that reform is handled with care. As Europe implements the EU Gas Directive, this book is a timely review for energy policy makers and others involved in the reform process. It is the latest in a series of IEA publications on energy market reforms.
Focussing on the change and development of national gas markets in Europe, this book provides an overview, analysis and comparison of recent dynamics in several national gas markets, at a time of very rapid change within this industry. This overview provides a better understanding of current events and future evolution in the European gas business. What can be expected at the European level given the recent trends and dynamics in national gas markets in Europe? How did countries respond to the EU gas directive and why? What are the important barriers to a harmonised European gas market from the perspective of national developments? This book tackles these and related questions. Written by experts across the field of energy policy and reform, this publication will be an invaluable resource for social scientists studying the ongoing reform process in energy markets as well as industry analysts, consultants, policy makers and utility companies worldwide.
øLaw and Policy of the European Gas Market explores the law and politics of the EU gas market and in particular, the regulatory and competitive choices of institutions and bodies operating on the market, with a view to achieving a higher level of marke
This book fills an important gap in the literature on energy security in the gas sector in the European Union. Whilst the emphasis is often on energy security in the oil sector, the gas sector has grown in importance in recent decades, with increasing liberalization raising critical questions for the security of gas supplies. The share of gas in Europe's energy mix is rising and the differences between the politics and economics of gas and oil supply are becoming more pronounced. The author sheds light on the state of EU energy security in the gas sector, its interdependence with external suppliers and the current gas strategy. He examines the role of energy companies, EU member-states and EU institutions, locates the main developments in the gas sector and focuses on the principal challenges posed by such fundamental changes. The author scrutinizes the EU's relations with its main gas supplier, Russia, as well as with alternative suppliers, elaborates on the key infrastructure projects on the table and their principal ramifications, and discusses the main policies that member-states pursue to achieve energy security as well as the EU's internal contradictions. The book concludes with policy recommendations, particularly in the light of tougher environmental regulation.
This book furthers the ongoing theoretical development of the multiple streams framework, assessing its applicability to European Union (EU) policy-making processes. It systematically defines and identifies functional equivalents for all of the framework’s core concepts at the EU level and extends the framework in order to explain agenda-setting and decision-making. Furthermore, the book derives a set of explicit hypotheses to empirically assess the extent to which the (modified) framework is able to explain timing, agenda prominence, and policy change (or a lack thereof) for the EU natural gas directives passed in 1998, 2003, and 2009. The analysis documents that the framework is well-suited to explain the EU policy process in general and reveals where additional theoretical refinements are required.
Electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, railways, and water supply, are often vertically and horizontally integrated state monopolies. This results in weak services, especially in developing and transition economies, and for poor people. Common problems include low productivity, high costs, bad quality, insufficient revenue, and investment shortfalls. Many countries over the past two decades have restructured, privatized and regulated their infrastructure. This report identifies the challenges involved in this massive policy redirection. It also assesses the outcomes of these changes, as well as their distributional consequences for poor households and other disadvantaged groups. It recommends directions for future reforms and research to improve infrastructure performance, identifying pricing policies that strike a balance between economic efficiency and social equity, suggesting rules governing access to bottleneck infrastructure facilities, and proposing ways to increase poor people's access to these crucial services.
Natural gas, a vital primary source of energy for the twenty-first century economy, is poised to play a major role in the medium- to long-term outlook of energy systems worldwide. Its supply to power markets for electricity generation and other energy purposes through the stages of exploration, production, gathering, processing, transmission, and distribution have been a key driver in gas commercialisation over the past two to three decades. This book discusses insights from law and economics pertaining to gas and energy supply contracts, regulation, and institutions. It provides an in-depth ‘law-in-context’ analysis of the approaches to developing competitive and secure gas-to-power markets in an increasingly international, interrelated, and interconnected value chain. Recognising a general move towards structural reforms and economic regulation of gas and energy markets globally, the author incisively addresses the following questions: – Is there a single ‘ideal’ model or approach for ensuring effectiveness in the restructuring and regulation of gas supply to power markets? If not, then what constitutes the matrix of models and approaches? – What are the underlying principles, assumptions, and institutional structures that will enhance the modern approaches to developing competitive, secure, and sustainable gas supply to power markets? – What are the factors that determine or affect the effectiveness and efficiency of such approaches and regulatory frameworks? The book critically explores the instrumental role of regulation and organisational institutions in the restructuring and development of gas supply markets. It examines the evolution of economic approaches to regulation, competitiveness, and security of gas supply in the United States and the United Kingdom. It considers the EU as a supranational union of developed economies and Nigeria as a developing economy, in the process of applying these paradigms of economic regulation and restructuring of gas-to-power markets. In a law and policy environment where training and educational centres, lawyers, and public and corporate energy advisors are becoming more concerned about competitiveness and efficiency in gas resource allocation and pricing – and about high-quality governance frameworks for industries that depend on reliable gas supplies – this vital book will be warmly welcomed by lawyers, policymakers, energy consultants, analysts, regulators, corporate investors, academics, and institutions concerned with and engaged in the business of exploration, production, and supply of gas for energy purposes.