The FSR Executive Course directed by Thomas-Olivier Léautier (TSE) and Fabien Roques (Compass Lexevcon) discusses the micro-economics of wholesale power markets and their implications for energy policies.

Come to the Florence School of Regulation and find answers to these burning questions:

• What are the key market design developments proposed by the European Commission in the Clean Energy package?
• In particular, what are the best practices to introduce scarcity pricing via reforms of balancing and reserve mechanisms?
• How should we manage congestion on the transmission network?
• How should we design efficient electricity markets to achieve multiple policy objectives?
• What is the impact of renewables on electricity markets in the short-term and the long-term?
• How can an efficient interface with the European carbon trading Scheme be achieved? What does the latest ETS reform for phase 4 entail?

The aim of the course is:

• to understand the fundamental micro-economic principles underpinning electricity markets;
• to discuss different wholesale electricity market models adopted by different countries and the lessons from 30 years of liberalisation on what works;
• to review the key market design developments that have been recently approved in the Clean Energy Package and associated Energy Regulation;
• to discuss the role of scarcity pricing and capacity mechanisms and efficient design rules for balancing and reserves;
• to discuss the potential for market power and present measures to mitigate market power;
• to explain the long-term investment incentives, the impact of price caps and other types of regulatory interventions on these incentives;
• to describe the objectives of governments’ environmental and decarbonisation policies and their impact on the power industry and on energy companies;
• to discuss the tension between the theory underpinning energy markets and the concrete implementation issues in practice that regulators face (i.e. the “political economy” of power sector liberalisation).

The fundamental concepts of micro-economics of wholesale power markets

Long term supply and demand balance in power markets

• The optimal cumulative capacity in a power market
• The optimal generation mix

Designing wholesale physical electricity markets

• Characteristics and structures of electricity markets
• Scarcity pricing: the role and design of balancing mechanisms and reserves
• Managing congestion: Nodal pricing of power and other approaches

Market power, price caps, and missing money

• Market power and market power mitigation
• Market power detection tools
• Market power mitigation remedies

Markets, policies, and hybrid models

• Market power mitigation remedies
• The role and design of capacity mechanisms
• Possible approaches for cross border participation in capacity mechanisms

Environmental policies and hybrid models

• Environmental policies and their impact on electricity markets
• Design of market compatible renewables support mechanisms
• EU ETS effect on power markets

After training participant will be able to:

• Critically assess the efficiency of different market designs in light of fundamental economic principles
• Indicate factors of markets’ limitations and take the right action to minimize market imperfections
• Use the optimal capacity and optimal mix criteria for achieving competitive markets
• Name controlling mechanisms designed and implemented by regulators
• Prevent and solve the missing money problem
• Consider tools to reduce carbon emissions and their economic impacts on the power industry
• Regard the impact hybrid models have for electricity producers and retailers

Registration is open to all professional from the energy sector. The training is designed for experienced managers and targets professionals from energy companies and representatives from National and European Regulatory Authorities, but also academics and researchers.

No specific academic background is required although the knowledge of engineering or economics is highly recommended. The training is given in English.

The registration+accommodation fee for:

• Donors of the FSR: 1,700 EUR
• Other organizations or companies: 2,000 EUR

The registration fee covers:

• Course attendance
• Access to the accompanied online platform during the course
• Access to the material and interactive session of four online lessons
• 2 nights accommodation at a hotel in the Florence city center
• Coffee breaks, lunches, dinners
• Shuttle transport between the hotel and the training venue, back and forth
• Certificate of attendance