改正電気事業法下における電力産業の望ましい競争政策
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概要
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We will estimate how the liberalization of electric retail has promoted competition in the electric power industry and has contributed consumer welfare since 2000, and argue desirable competitive policies. The most contribution of the liberalization is that the electric power companies have lowered power rates. Power rates were lowered in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007. This has tried to deter new firms from entering, too. The methods electric power companies deter new firms from entering are the increase of consigning rates for new entrants, internal subsidies and exchanging information among the horizontal integration besides lowering power rates. The essential facilities such as transmission facilities of electricity were difficult for new entrants to build under the stagnation of demand for electricity. So, it was desirable for new entrants to rent them from existing electric power companies with adequate rates. In 2004 they were obliged not to discriminate new entrants in a variety of sides by the revised Electric Enterprise Act. But, as the share of new entrants did not grow very much, the limit of regulation in behaviors of electric power companies was argued. So, the regulation of the structures of them or the unbundling of them was said to be necessary. While electric business is operated by government-owned firms in European countries where the unbundling was often carried out, it is operated by electric power companies and it doesn't have transmission facilities of electricity in reserve in Japan. Further, considering a variety of merits of horizontal integration with technological interdependence in the generation, transmission, supply and retail of electricity, we estimate that the unbundling is very risky. Consequently, regulation of structure in electric power companies will be unnecessary under the progress of the reduction of power rates. Finally, as regional monopolies of electric power companies are not broken, it is desirable for consumers that the competition among them will be promoted more. The abolition of the rate for cross-area wheeling service in 2004 and the creation of Japan Electric Power Exchange in 2005 are effective for competition among them. It is essential to defeat the silent cartel which is called the territory system.
- 東海大学の論文