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Security of Supply, the Role of Interconnectors and Option Values : insights from the GB Capacity Auction

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  • David Newbery and Michael Grubb

Abstract

The UK Government has carefully designed a Capacity Mechanism to deliver reliable electricity. This paper criticises the determination of the amount to procure, and argues that the amount set for the first auction was excessive, particularly (but not exclusively) in ignoring the contribution from interconnectors. Too little attention was given to either the political economy or the option value aspects. Procuring too little raises fears of 'the lights going out', but over-procurement increases consumer costs; undermines renewables by transferring capped finance to fossil generators; and impedes the Single Market including by weakening the business case for interconnectors. Making more use of the demand-side and potentially available 'latent' capacity lowers risk and increases options allowing more capacity procurement to be deferred. Capacity markets are intended to address problems of 'missing money' in terms of energy-only market incentives to invest; but over-procurement risks exacerbating the underlying problem, whereas addressing market failures and missing markets, and properly accounting for interconnectors, reduces the underlying problem.

Suggested Citation

  • David Newbery and Michael Grubb, 2015. "Security of Supply, the Role of Interconnectors and Option Values : insights from the GB Capacity Auction," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    • Handle: RePEc:aen:eeepjl:eeep4-2-newbery
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Cramton, 2017. "Electricity market design," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(4), pages 589-612.
    2. Hagspiel, Simeon, 2017. "Reliable Electricity: The Effects of System Integration and Cooperative Measures to Make it Work," EWI Working Papers 2017-13, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    3. Astier, Nicolas & Ovaere, Marten, 2022. "Reliability standards and generation adequacy assessments for interconnected electricity systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. David Newbery, 2016. "Questioning the EU Target Electricity Model – how should it be adapted to deliver the Trilemma?," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1634, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    5. Michael G. Pollitt, 2019. "The European Single Market in Electricity: An Economic Assessment," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 55(1), pages 63-87, August.
    6. Newbery, David, 2017. "Tales of two islands – Lessons for EU energy policy from electricity market reforms in Britain and Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 597-607.
    7. Newbery, David & Gissey, Giorgio Castagneto & Guo, Bowei & Dodds, Paul E., 2019. "The private and social value of British electrical interconnectors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    8. Michael Grubb and David Newbery, 2018. "UK Electricity Market Reform and the Energy Transition: Emerging Lessons," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 6).
    9. David P. Brown & Derek E. H. Olmstead, 2017. "Measuring market power and the efficiency of Alberta's restructured electricity market: An energy‐only market design," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(3), pages 838-870, August.
    10. Newbery, David & Strbac, Goran & Viehoff, Ivan, 2016. "The benefits of integrating European electricity markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 253-263.
    11. Holmberg, P. & Ritz, R., 2019. "Capacity mechanisms and the technology mix in competitive electricity markets," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1960, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    12. Newbery, David, 2016. "Missing money and missing markets: Reliability, capacity auctions and interconnectors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 401-410.
    13. Newbery, David M., 2016. "Towards a green energy economy? The EU Energy Union’s transition to a low-carbon zero subsidy electricity system – Lessons from the UK’s Electricity Market Reform," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1321-1330.
    14. Crampes, Claude & Von Der Fehr, Nils-Henrik, 2022. "Decentralised Cross-Border Interconnection," TSE Working Papers 22-1315, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    15. Traber, Thure, 2017. "Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms for Reliability in the Integrated European Electricity Market: Effects on Welfare and Distribution through 2023," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-14.
    16. Höschle, Hanspeter & De Jonghe, Cedric & Le Cadre, Hélène & Belmans, Ronnie, 2017. "Electricity markets for energy, flexibility and availability — Impact of capacity mechanisms on the remuneration of generation technologies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 372-383.
    17. Glachant, Jean-Michel, 2016. "Tacking stock of the EU “Power Target Model”… and steering its future course," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 673-679.
    18. Newbery, David, 2018. "Shifting demand and supply over time and space to manage intermittent generation: The economics of electrical storage," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 711-720.
    19. Lockwood, Matthew & Mitchell, Catherine & Hoggett, Richard, 2020. "Incumbent lobbying as a barrier to forward-looking regulation: The case of demand-side response in the GB capacity market for electricity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).

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