Merchant Transmission Investment
Abstract
We examine the performance attributes of a merchant transmission investment framework that relies on 'market driven' investment to increase transmission network capacity needed to support competitive wholesale markets for electricity. Under a stringent set of assumptions, the merchant investment model has a remarkable set of attributes that appears to solve the natural monopoly problem and the associated need for regulating electric transmission companies. We expand the merchant model to incorporate several attributes of wholesale power markets and transmission networks that the merchant model ignores. These include market power in wholesale electricity markets, lumpiness in transmission investment opportunities, stochastic attributes of transmission networks and associated property rights definition issues, strategic behavior by potential merchant transmission investors and issues related to the coordination of transmission system operators and merchant transmission owners. Incorporating these more realistic attributes of transmission networks and the behavior of transmission owners and system operators leads to the conclusion that several potentially significant inefficiencies may result from reliance on the merchant transmission investment framework. Accordingly, it is inappropriate for policymakers to assume that they can avoid dealing with the many challenges associated with stimulating efficient levels of investment in electric transmission networks by adopting the merchant model. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2005.(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
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Paper provided by University of Toulouse 1 Capitole in its series Open Access publications from University of Toulouse 1 Capitole with number http://neeo.univ-tlse1.fr/65/.Length:
Date of creation: Jun 2005
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in The Journal of Industrial Economics (2005-06) v.53, p.233-264
Handle: RePEc:ner:toulou:http://neeo.univ-tlse1.fr/65/
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Web page: http://www.univ-tlse1.fr/
Related research
Keywords:Other versions of this item:
- Paul Joskow & Jean Tirole, 2005. "Merchant Transmission Investment," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 233-264, 06.
- Paul Joskow & Jean Tirole, 2003. "Merchant Transmission Investment," NBER Working Papers 9534, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Joskow, Paul & Tirole, Jean, 2004. "Merchant Transmission Investment," IDEI Working Papers 263, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
- Joskow, P. & Tirole, J., 2003. "Merchant Transmission Investment," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0324, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
- Paul Joskow & Jean Tirole, 2003. "Merchant Transmission Investment," Working Papers 0304, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.
- L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities
- L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
- L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy
- D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing
References
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