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The electricity market game

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  • Spear, Stephen E.

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of imperfect competition in unregulated electricity markets from a general equilibrium perspective, and demonstrates that horizontal market power can explain both the large peak-period price spikes observed recently in California and elsewhere, and the marked reduction in additions to capacity that have also occurred during the transition to competitive markets.
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Suggested Citation

  • Spear, Stephen E., 2003. "The electricity market game," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 300-323, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:109:y:2003:i:2:p:300-323
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    1. Severin Borenstein & James Bushnell & Frank Wolak, 2000. "Diagnosing Market Power in California's Restructured Wholesale Electricity Market," NBER Working Papers 7868, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. repec:aen:journl:1997v18-04-a05 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Joshua S. Gans & Danny Price & Kim Woods, 1998. "Contracts and Electricity Pool Prices," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 23(1), pages 83-96, June.
    4. Peck, James & Shell, Karl & Spear, Stephen E., 1992. "The market game: existence and structure of equilibrium," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 271-299.
    5. Green, Richard J & Newbery, David M, 1992. "Competition in the British Electricity Spot Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(5), pages 929-953, October.
    6. repec:aen:journl:1998v19-03-a02 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Microsoft Copilot & Stephen E. Spear, 2025. "AI Agents in the Electricity Market Game with Cryptocurrency Transactions: A Post-Terminator Analysis," Papers 2505.14612, arXiv.org.
    2. Toraubally, Waseem A., 2022. "Strategic trading and Ricardian comparative advantage," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 428-447.
    3. Sunil Dutta & Stefan Reichelstein, 2021. "Capacity Rights and Full-Cost Transfer Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 1303-1325, February.
    4. Aitor Ciarreta & María Espinosa, 2010. "Market power in the Spanish electricity auction," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 42-69, February.
    5. Nicholas Shunda, 2005. "Strategic Behavior in Day-Ahead and Real-Time Markets for Electricity: Offer Cost or Payment Cost Minimization?," Working papers 2005-48, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    6. Tsitakis, D. & Xanthopoulos, S. & Yannacopoulos, A.N., 2006. "A closed-form solution for the price of cross-commodity electricity derivatives," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 371(2), pages 543-551.
    7. Ciarreta Antuñano, Aitor & Espinosa Alejos, María Paz, 2005. "A Supply Function Competition Model for the Spanish Wholesale Electricity Market," DFAEII Working Papers 1988-088X, University of the Basque Country - Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II.
    8. Peck, James & Spear, Stephen E., 2003. "Introduction to a Festschrift for Karl Shell," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 153-155, April.
    9. Vicki Knoblauch, 2004. "Can a Newly Proposed Mechanism for Allocating Contracts in U.S. Electricity Wholesale Markets Lead to Lower Prices? A Game Theoretic Analysis," Working papers 2004-41, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2006.
    10. Nasiri, Fuzhan & Zaccour, Georges, 2009. "An exploratory game-theoretic analysis of biomass electricity generation supply chain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4514-4522, November.
    11. Bertrand Crettez & Marie-Cécile Fagart, 2009. "Does entry improve welfare? A general equilibrium approach to competition policy," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 98(2), pages 97-118, November.
    12. Toraubally, Waseem A., 2024. "Quantity competition in Hotellings linear city," CRETA Online Discussion Paper Series 87, Centre for Research in Economic Theory and its Applications CRETA.
    13. Sirin, Selahattin Murat & Camadan, Ercument & Erten, Ibrahim Etem & Zhang, Alex Hongliang, 2023. "Market failure or politics? Understanding the motives behind regulatory actions to address surging electricity prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    14. Sunil Dutta & Stefan J. Reichelstein, 2019. "Capacity Rights and Full Cost Transfer Pricing," CESifo Working Paper Series 7968, CESifo.
    15. Balasko, Yves, 2008. "On the satisfaction of peak demand in the certainty case," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(7-8), pages 569-574, July.
    16. C. Gizem Korpeoglu & Ersin Körpeoğlu & Soo-Haeng Cho, 2020. "Supply Chain Competition: A Market Game Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(12), pages 5648-5664, December.
    17. Toraubally, Waseem A., 2023. "Comparative advantage with many goods: New treatment and results," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 311(3), pages 1188-1201.
    18. Cl'emence Alasseur & Ivar Ekeland & Romuald Elie & Nicol'as Hern'andez Santib'a~nez & Dylan Possamai, 2017. "An adverse selection approach to power pricing," Papers 1706.01934, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2019.
    19. Hoel, Michael, 2004. "Electricity prices in a mixed thermal and hydropower system," Memorandum 28/2004, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    20. Aitor Ciarreta & María Espinosa, 2010. "Market power in the Spanish electricity auction," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 42-69, February.

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