Integrated energy markets and varying degrees of liberalisation: Price links, bundled sales and CHP production exemplified by Northern European experiences

Abstract Liberalisation of energy markets has during the last 20 years been gradually introduced in many countries. The liberalisation has led to concerns regarding the markets’ state of competition and fears that market power existence can result in less efficiency gains than what is expected from liberalisation. Concerns have also been raised as to whether specific consumer groups will be affected by limited competition in markets. Much of the concern has been concentrated on the electricity markets, but the development of energy sectors with integration of activities within natural gas, electricity and the oil sector creates the need to examine market power aspects across these markets. This paper examines the concentration trends in the Northern European markets for electricity and natural gas, combined with regional district heating aspects, especially with respect to the situation in Denmark. The situation with natural gas companies supplying to both small-scale CHP and to retail heat customers is discussed, for instance, which changes of regulatory regime for domestic heating customers should be considered when the natural gas market is being liberalised? The interlinked nature of the energy markets is described and examples of impacts from one market with limited competition to other markets with seemingly well-functioning competition are given. The specific case of large CHP production facilities with output on the regulated district heating market and the competitive Nordic electricity market is examined. How much of the fluctuations in price experienced in electricity markets should be reflected in the price of heating supplies? To which degree do the heating customers have to bear the burden of low-electricity market prices? Regulation of liberalised markets is discussed focusing on the interaction between one regulated market and the related energy markets that are liberalised. Existing regulation on the markets are compared to a situation where liberalisation of some markets puts pressure on other markets. We conclude that the most likely integration activity in the Danish market will be the bundling of energy goods (natural gas and electricity) to retail customers and the integration of gas-fired CHP producers with gas companies.