A. Midttun - Böcker

The electricity generation and supply industry is undergoing rapid changes in the 1990s. As demands for economic power continue to increase, governments throughout Europe are contemplating a reformation of electricity policy for the 21st century. This book discusses the current state of the European electricity generation and supply industry and the options for improvement in the future.

Written by renowned experts in the field of energy policy and economics, the book includes detailed case studies of national electricity regulation from around Europe, and a timely overview of European Union electricity policy on liberalisation and deregulation.Given that the changes to the European electricity industries will provide valuable pointers to change in other areas, this book is essential reading for industry analysts, policy makers, utility companies and others with an interest in the future of energy generation and transmission worldwide.

Norwegian deregulation was, together with the British model, a pioneer forerunner in the restructuring of European electricity industry. The Norwegian model, unlike the British, did not change ownership or structure, but relied heavily on a radical opening of the market way down to household consumers. It also developed a more advanced pool system based on actual bidding both on the supply and demand side, as well as triggering the first regional integrated competitive power market in the world. This book draws on a wide range of applied research and gives a summary of the Norwegian experience.

After a postwar period with extensive use of public service models and macroeconomically orchestrally planned regimes, the 1980s and the early 1990s saw a reversion to a more liberal style of economic regulation in Western Europe. The movement from one type of regulatory regime to another illustrates the paradigmatic character of economic organization and, as a result, a thorough investigation of the basic assumptions behind the choice of regulatory direction is required. At this deep level, regulatory issues are beyond a single social science discipline and much of the literature on economic regulation is specialized and too narrow to address the issues involved. With contribution from economists, economic sociologists and political scientists, this volume addresses core issues raised by the new regulatory style of governance.