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A Simple Regulatory Incentive Mechanism Applied to Electricity Transmission Pricing and Investment

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  • Mohammad Reza Hesamzadeh
  • Juan Rosellón
  • Steven A. Gabriel
  • Ingo Vogelsang

Abstract

The informationally simple approach to incentive regulation applies mechanisms that translate the regulator’s objective function into the firm’s profit-maximizing objective. These mechanisms come in two forms, one based on subsidies/taxes,the other based on constraints/ price caps. In spite of a number of improvements and a good empirical track record simple approaches so far remain imperfect. The current paper comes up with a new proposal, called H-R-G-V, which blends the two traditions and is shown to apply well to electricity transmission pricing and investment. In particular, it induces immediately optimal pricing/investment but is not based on subsidies. In the transmission application, the H-RG- V approach is based on a bilevel optimization with the transmission company (Transco) at the top and the independent system operator (ISO) at the bottom level. We show that HR- G-V, while not perfect, marks an improvement over the other simple mechanisms and a convergence of the two traditions. We suggest ways to deal with remaining practical issues of demand and cost functions changing over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Reza Hesamzadeh & Juan Rosellón & Steven A. Gabriel & Ingo Vogelsang, 2017. "A Simple Regulatory Incentive Mechanism Applied to Electricity Transmission Pricing and Investment," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1696, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1696
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    Cited by:

    1. Biggar, Darryl R. & Hesamzadeh, Mohammad Reza, 2022. "An integrated theory of dispatch and hedging in wholesale electric power markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    2. Ingo Vogelsang, 2018. "Can Simple Regulatory Mechanisms Realistically be used for Electricity Transmission Investment? The Case of H-R-G-V," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    3. Kerstin Dächert & Sauleh Siddiqui & Javier Saez-Gallego & Steven A. Gabriel & Juan Miguel Morales, 2019. "A Bicriteria Perspective on L-Penalty Approaches – a Corrigendum to Siddiqui and Gabriel’s L-Penalty Approach for Solving MPECs," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1199-1214, December.
    4. D. Khastieva & M. R. Hesamzadeh & I. Vogelsang & J. Rosellón, 2020. "Transmission Network Investment Using Incentive Regulation: A Disjunctive Programming Approach," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1029-1068, December.
    5. Hesamzadeh, Mohammad Reza & Biggar, Darryl R., 2021. "Generalized FTRs for hedging inter-nodal pricing risk," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Varawala, Lamia & Hesamzadeh, Mohammad Reza & Dán, György & Bunn, Derek & Rosellón, Juan, 2023. "A pricing mechanism to jointly mitigate market power and environmental externalities in electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Electricity transmission; incentive regulation; multi-level optimization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General

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