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Strategic Forward Contracting in the Wholesale Electricity Market

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  • Pär Holmberg

Abstract

This paper analyses a wholesale electricity market with supply function competition. Trade in the forward and spot markets is represented by a two-stage game, and its subgame perfect Nash equilibrium (SPNE) is characterized. It is verified that increased forward sales of a producer constitute a credible commitment to aggressive spot market bidding. The paper identifies market situations when this pro-competitive commitment is unilaterally profitable for the producer. It is also proven that a producer has incentives to sell in the forward market in order to reduce competitors' forward sales, which softens their spot market offers.

Suggested Citation

  • Pär Holmberg, 2011. "Strategic Forward Contracting in the Wholesale Electricity Market," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1), pages 169-202.
  • Handle: RePEc:aen:journl:2011v32-01-a07
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David P. Brown & David E. M. Sappington, 2023. "Employing gain-sharing regulation to promote forward contracting in the electricity sector," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 30-56, April.
    2. Jacqueline Adelowo & Moritz Bohland, 2023. "It’s in the Data – Improved Market Power Mitigation in Electricity Markets," EconPol Forum, CESifo, vol. 24(05), pages 46-51, September.
    3. David P. Brown & Andrew Eckert, 2018. "Analyzing the Impact of Electricity Market Structure Changes and Mergers: The Importance of Forward Commitments," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 52(1), pages 101-137, February.
    4. Di Cosmo, Valeria & Lynch, Muireann Á., 2016. "Competition and the single electricity market: Which lessons for Ireland?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 40-47.
    5. Holmberg, Pär & Willems, Bert, 2015. "Relaxing competition through speculation: Committing to a negative supply slope," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 159(PA), pages 236-266.
    6. Dressler, Luisa, 2016. "Support schemes for renewable electricity in the European Union: Producer strategies and competition," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 186-196.
    7. Yukihide Kurakawa & Makoto Tanaka, 2023. "Impacts of market power in the day-ahead electricity market on incentive-based demand response," RIEEM Discussion Paper Series 2303, Research Institute for Environmental Economics and Management, Waseda University.
    8. Bastian Henze & Charles Noussair & Bert Willems, 2012. "Regulation of network infrastructure investments: an experimental evaluation," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 1-38, August.
    9. Thomas P. Tangerås & Johannes Mauritzen, 2018. "Real‐time versus day‐ahead market power in a hydro‐based electricity market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(4), pages 904-941, December.
    10. Jacqueline Adelowo & Moritz Bohland, 2022. "Redesigning Automated Market Power Mitigation in Electricity Markets," ifo Working Paper Series 387, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    11. de Frutos, María-Ángeles & Fabra, Natalia, 2012. "How to allocate forward contracts: The case of electricity markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 451-469.
    12. Anderson, Edward & Holmberg, Pär, 2018. "Price instability in multi-unit auctions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 318-341.
    13. Zhao, Wenhui & Zhang, Jiuyang & Li, Ruan & Zha, Ruiming, 2021. "A transaction case analysis of the development of generation rights trading and existing shortages in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    14. Weigt, H. & Willems, Bert, 2011. "The Effect of Divestitures in the German Electricity Market," Other publications TiSEM 7bbea5b0-7489-416f-8767-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    15. Mulder, Machiel & Petrikaitė, Vaiva & Scholtens, Bert, 2015. "Distributed energy generation techniques and the competitive fringe effect in electricity markets," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 125-140.
    16. Jesús M. López-Lezama & David Tobón-Orozco & Esteban Velilla & Jorge Barrientos & Fernando Villada, 2018. "Long-term seasonal forwards in electricity generation markets: an application to Colombia," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 37(74), pages 287-314, July.
    17. Van Moer, Geert, 2019. "Electricity market competition when forward contracts are pairwise efficient," MPRA Paper 96660, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Wölfing, Nikolas, 2019. "Forward trading and collusion in supply functions," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-003, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    19. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew & Silveira, Douglas, 2023. "Screening for Collusion in Wholesale Electricity Markets: A Review of the Literature," Working Papers 2023-7, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    20. Brown, David P. & Sappington, David E.M., 2020. "Load-Following Forward Contracts," Working Papers 2020-14, University of Alberta, Department of Economics, revised 31 Dec 2021.
    21. Tangerås, Thomas & Wolak, Frank A., 2017. "The Competitive Effects of Linking Electricity Markets Across Space and Time," Working Paper Series 1184, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    22. Álvarez-Uribe, Karla C. & Arango-Aramburo, Santiago & Larsen, Erik R., 2018. "Forward contracts in electricity markets and capacity investment: A simulation study," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-10.

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