Search results

This booklet considers the impact of electricity market reform on power generation costs and investment. Governments throughout the OECD are restructuring their electricity supply industries, reducing the direct role of the state and introducing competition. These changes are designed to increase the economic efficiency of electricity supply and to lower prices for consumers. Maintaining adequate investment in new generation capacity is another important objective. The study concludes that market reform is likely to lead to reduced generation costs. Reformed systems should also preserve system reliability and adequacy of investment.

This booklet gives an introduction to the issues raised by regulatory reform of the electricity sector. The sector is undergoing change worldwide. A key objective of reform is to improve efficiency in order to reduce prices for electricity consumers. More competitive power markets are required to achieve this objective, but security of supply must also be sustained in the new conditions, and environmental objectives are of growing importance. Ultimately, choices must be made by end-users themselves and not by others on their behalf. Hence, the structure of the industry needs to change to promote end-user choice, as do the regulatory institutions and rules that set the framework.