Market liberalization: an analysis of the Austrian electricity market

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Background
  • 2.1 Market components
  • 2.2 Market basics and participants
  • 2.3 Balancing demand and supply
  • 2.4 Accessing the electricity network
  • 2.5 Unbundling
  • 2.6 Retail and wholesale markets
  • 2.7 Pricing electricity in a competitive market
• 3 Liberalization issues
  • 3.1 Regulation
    • 3.1.1 EU Directive for regulation
    • 3.1.2 Reasons for development of a single market
    • 3.1.3 Stranded costs
  • 3.2 Deregulation
    • 3.2.1 Deregulation difficulties
    • 3.2.2 Pricing
    • 3.2.3 Safety of long-term supply
  • 3.3 Impact on Industry Structure
    • 3.3.1 Restructuring
    • 3.3.2 Mergers and acquisitions
• 4 Austrian electricity market
  • 4.1 Deregulation
  • 4.2 Market access
  • 4.3 Participants
  • 4.4 Generation
  • 4.5 Fuels for generation
  • 4.6 Balancing
  • 4.7 Unbundling and price
  • 4.8 Foreign involvement
• 5 Conclusions
  • 5.1 Future work
• 6 References

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This work explores the process of electricity market liberalization in Europe, focusing on Austria as a case study. The primary objective is to analyze the impact of deregulation and re-regulation on the Austrian electricity market, specifically examining the development of industry structure and final consumer pricing.

• The effects of market liberalization on electricity prices and competition
• The role of regulation and deregulation in shaping the electricity market
• The impact of market liberalization on the structure of the electricity industry
• The challenges of balancing supply and demand in a liberalized market
• The influence of foreign investment and international market forces on the Austrian electricity market

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter provides an introduction to the topic of electricity market liberalization and outlines the scope of the analysis. Chapter 2 delves into the fundamental components of the electricity market, covering topics like market basics, participants, balancing supply and demand, accessing the electricity network, unbundling, retail and wholesale markets, and pricing mechanisms. Chapter 3 examines the liberalization issues, focusing on regulation, deregulation, and the impact on industry structure. The fourth chapter investigates the specific case of the Austrian electricity market, highlighting deregulation, market access, participants, generation, fuels, balancing, unbundling, price, and foreign involvement. Finally, chapter 5 presents conclusions drawn from the analysis and outlines potential areas for future research.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Electricity market liberalization, deregulation, re-regulation, industry structure, consumer pricing, Austria, European Union, EU directives, transmission and distribution networks, market access, generation, fuels, balancing, foreign investment, stranded costs.