electricity producers

PPC production share dips since 2010, still among EU’s top 10 leaders

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Eurostat data identifying the biggest energy producers of EU member states and their respective shares has highlighted a delay in Greece’s electricity market liberalization, specifically in the domain of electricity generation.

Greek power utility PPC maintained a 51.3 percent share of the country’s electricity production in 2019 – the year for which most recent data is available – placing the country in ninth place among 25 member states, in terms of the size of the leading producer’s market share.

Despite being ranked relatively high on this list, PPC’s share of production, from a long-range perspective, has contracted substantially over the past decade or so.

PPC has shed 33.8 percent since 2010, when its share of total electricity production stood at 85.1 percent. Independent producers began emerging in Greece’s electricity production market about a decade ago.

Similar electricity production share drops, by the leading producers, have also been recorded in other member states.

In Belgium, the share of the country’s top producer fell by 39.5 percent to 39.1 percent during the equivalent period. In France, the top producer’s share fell from 86.5 percent to 65.6 percent, while in Slovakia the dominant producer shed 28 percent of its share.

The biggest decline was registered in Luxembourg, where the leading electricity producer’s share of 85.4 percent in 2010 plummeted to 18.1 percent in 2019.

A full monopoly was maintained on Cyprus with the state-controlled utility representing 100 percent of generation in 2019.

The Cypriot utility, topping the list, was followed by the biggest producers in: Latvia (86.4%), Croatia (80%), Estonia (76.4%), France (65.6%), Czech Republic (60.5%), Slovenia (53%), and Slovakia (52.8%).

RAE upper limit on balancing market offers still possible

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A decision by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, on whether to intervene further following yesterday’s decisions to suspend negative prices for balancing energy market offers and limit them in accordance with minimum production levels that are technically possible will depend on how balancing market prices unfold, authority officials have pointed out.

The possibility of an upper limit for balancing energy market offers cannot be ruled out, the RAE officials explained.

Commenting on yesterday’s initiatives by RAE, electricity producers, on the one hand, and non-vertically integrated suppliers, traders and major-scale consumers, on the other, offered conflicting opinions.

The imposition of a zero-level threshold for offers was not necessary as extreme prices, or behavior, no longer exist in the balancing market to justify the measure, electricity producers contended, warning that it could prompt new market distortions.

The producers also expressed concern over RAE’s preference to not set a specific time period for the negative-price suspension’s validity.

At the other end, Antonis Kontoleon, the head official of EVIKEN, Greece’s Association of Industrial Energy Consumers, noted that RAE has taken a step back from its own proposal for an upper limit on balancing energy market offers as well as upper and lower limits for balancing capacity market offers.

Industrial energy consumers will remain dependent on whether balancing market participants exercise restraint, the EVIKEN chief underlined.

Suppliers and traders described the two RAE measures implemented yesterday as a first step in the right direction.

The impact of the measure limiting offers in accordance with minimum production levels that are technically possible cannot be quantified, they noted, adding the zero-level threshold measure will prevent sharp price rises but would prove insufficient if, for any reason, self-restraint stops being observed in the balancing market.

One trader noted that the zero-level threshold, to prove effective, must be maintained until power grid operator IPTO completes the “western corridor” grid in the Peloponnese.

RAE consultation on balancing market restrictions ends today

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RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, will need to make decisions following today’s conclusion of its public consultation on a price ceiling proposed by the authority for electricity producer offers in the balancing market.

The authority held a series of meetings yesterday with all producers operating gas-fueled power stations and will now need to decide on whether to incorporate observations made by producers into its plan as part of the effort to resolve issues that have become apparent during the first six weeks of the target model’s new markets, including the balancing market. Wholesale electricity prices have risen sharply.

Producers have tabled a number of varying, even conflicting, proposals. Some producers insist that the imposition of any restrictive measure runs contrary to the free-market principles promised by the target model. Others believe any restrictions should be set at low levels, but not as low as levels proposed by RAE.

Producers believe the balancing market’s problem is linked to energy quantities not price restrictions, warning that supply sufficiency problems could result during periods of high demand if levels as low as those proposed by RAE are eventually set.

Balancing market restrictions have applied until recently in more mature markets such as those of Belgium and the Netherlands. Balancing market conditions differ from country to country as respective levels of flexibility vary.

 

 

Producers content with target model markets, suppliers edgy

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Any nervousness felt by producers over the target model’s new markets ahead of their November 1 launch are swiftly being quelled by rational trading results. On the contrary, non-vertically integrated suppliers have experienced cost increases and, as a result, are concerned about their company prospects.

Although it still too early to tell, electricity producers believe day-ahead market prices are reflecting actual conditions, rising with shortages and falling with any oversupply.

Day-ahead market prices began at 60.44 euros per MWh on November 11, fell as low as 41.11 euros per MWh on Saturday and rose to 68.36 euros per MWh for today.

These price levels for the day-ahead market, known as the System Marginal Price under the previous system, are regarded as being at rational levels.

Producers have also expressed satisfaction over the balancing market, a largely unknown entity prior to the target model’s launch. Prices have been high, enabling units with flexibility to ensure solid earnings.

Day-ahead market prices are projected to fall, which would subsequently limit electricity imports and require domestic power stations to operate for longer hours.

Higher earnings for producers mean greater costs for suppliers. Non-integrated suppliers are concerned about their prospects under such conditions.