Regulation Of The Power Sector

Regulation of the Power Sector is a unified, consistent and comprehensive treatment of the theories and practicalities of regulation in modern power-supply systems. The need for generation to occur at the time of use occasioned by the impracticality of large-scale electricity storage coupled with constant and often unpredictable changes in demand make electricity-supply systems large, dynamic and complex and their regulation a daunting task. Arranged in four parts, this book addresses both traditional regulatory frameworks and also liberalized and re-regulated environments. First, an introduction gives a full characterization of power supply including engineering, economic and regulatory viewpoints. The second part presents the fundamentals of regulation and the third looks at the regulation of particular components of the power sector in detail. Advanced topics and subjects still open or subject to dispute form the content of Part IV. In a sector where regulatory design is the key driver of both the industry efficiency and the returns on investment, Regulation of the Power Sector is directed at regulators, policy decision makers, business managers and researchers. It is a pragmatic text, well-tested by the authors’ quarter-century of experience of power systems from around the world. Power system professionals and students at all levels will derive much benefit from the authors’ wealth of blended theory and real-world-derived know-how.

During the 1990s, a new paradigm for power sector reform was put forward emphasizing the restructuring of utilities, the creation of regulators, the participation of the private sector, and the establishment of competitive power markets. Twenty-five years later, only a handful of developing countries have fully implemented these Washington Consensus policies. Across the developing world, reforms were adopted rather selectively, resulting in a hybrid model, in which elements of market orientation coexist with continued state dominance of the sector. This book aims to revisit and refresh thinking on power sector reform approaches for developing countries. The approach relies heavily on evidence from the past, drawing both on broad global trends and deep case material from 15 developing countries. It is also forward looking, considering the implications of new social and environmental policy goals, as well as the emerging technological disruptions. A nuanced picture emerges. Although regulation has been widely adopted, practice often falls well short of theory, and cost recovery remains an elusive goal. The private sector has financed a substantial expansion of generation capacity; yet, its contribution to power distribution has been much more limited, with efficiency levels that can sometimes be matched by well-governed public utilities. Restructuring and liberalization have been beneficial in a handful of larger middle-income nations but have proved too complex for most countries to implement. Based on these findings, the report points to three major policy implications. First, reform efforts need to be shaped by the political and economic context of the country. The 1990s reform model was most successful in countries that had reached certain minimum conditions of power sector development and offered a supportive political environment. Second, countries found alternative institutional pathways to achieving good power sector outcomes, making a case for greater pluralism. Among the top performers, some pursued the full set of market-oriented reforms, while others retained a more important role for the state. Third, reform efforts should be driven and tailored to desired policy outcomes and less preoccupied with following a predetermined process, particularly since the twenty-first-century century agenda has added decarbonization and universal access to power sector outcomes. The Washington Consensus reforms, while supportive of the twenty-first-century century agenda, will not be able to deliver on them alone and will require complementary policy measures

"Power-sector reform and regulation in Africa offers detailed, up-to-date and original research into how governments and policymakers in six African countries have grappled with the development of their energy sectors. Arising out of a two-year peer-learning process involving senior executives in the electricity regulators in each country, the book contains an intelligent and clear analysis of the knowledge and shared experiences gathered in Africa by African scholars."--Publisher's note

Based on a report by a World Bank task force, this book provides a candid assessment of the Bank's operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book examines how the Bank can strengthen its operational response to poverty and improve food security, recommends improvements and innovative approaches to poverty reduction, and discusses ways of strengthening and making further use of regional initiatives. Although the report identifies improvements in the work on poverty reduction that have taken place since 1995, it finds that much remains to be done: * On average, 45 to 50 percent of Sub-Saharan Africans live below the poverty line, a much higher proportion than any other region of the world except South Asia. * The commitment of governments to poverty reduction is usually weak; only about 12 African governments have such a commitment. * Economic growth rates are generally far too low to reduce poverty significantly; growth rates of 6.5 percent per year are required for countries in this region to reduce poverty at an acceptable rate. * The World Bank's lending has emphasized growth, focusing almost 58 percent of its assistance to the region on creating the mechanisms for growth through policy change and large-scale investments. * The World Bank's focus on poverty reduction in programming and lending must intensify in all its operational work. * All development partners should establish stronger collaboration in planning their assistance programs.

The World Bank is changing the way it does business in the energy sector. This Policy Paper is one of two that outlines the Bank's new policies for the sector. The review was prompted by concern about the effects of power generation on the environment and on populations that may be resettled to make way for projects. Another stimulus was the macroeceonomic reality of fewer investment resources in many countries. And many developing countries are becoming more receptive to reforming the way energy is produced and consumed. This paper credits the "public monopoly" approach of the last 30 years with facilitating expansion of power supplies, capturing technical economies of scale, and making effective use of scarce managerial and technical skills. Nonetheless, it recommends several new policies to improve the performance of the electric power sector in developing countries. These reforms will guide future Bank activities in the sector. Bank loans for electric power will go first to countries clearly committed to improving the performance of their power sectors. The Bank will also discourage subsidies on energy prices and will encourage private investment in utilities. And it will provide financing to help the least developed countries import power where local generation is not practical. The efficiency of production and use of electric power in developing countries is examined in a companion paper, Energy Efficiency and Conservation in the Developing World: The World Banks Role . The World Bank's Role in the Electric Power Sector is also available in Spanish: La funcion del Banco Mundial en el sector de la electricidad. Politicas para efectuar una reforma institucional, regulatoria, y financieria eficaz. (ISBN 0-8213-2451-9) / Stock No. 12451 / $7.95 / Price code 007 / Spanis

A worldwide trend began in the 1980s in both developed & developing countries to restructure their power sectors & reform their regulatory framework. The motivation in developed countries to restructure & reform was mainly to improve sector efficiency, while in the developing countries, it was to move the sector away from reliance on scarce public resources to more private sector financing. Since the Asian Development Bank was involved in restructuring & regulatory reform in many of Asia's developing countries, this report takes stock of the progress made to date in these countries, reviews the relevant experience in some developed countries & Latin America, & identifies the key issues that could have a bearing on its operations in Asia.

This study proposes a novel analytical approach for modeling market structures of the power sector, presenting evidence from statistical analysis and a sample of twenty case studies.

Written originally as a manual for the Federal Energy Commission to train regional rate regulators, this is a clear, comprehensive primer on the principles of economics and finance underlying the regulation of electricity markets and the deregulation of electricity generation.