Analysis of the competition situation in the Danish and Norwegian retail market for electric power

In connection with the revision of the Danish Energy Act, Energitilsynet (The Danish Energy Regulatory Authority DERA) has worked out directions for how to determine the electric power prices for customers whose annual consumption is less than 100 000 kWh and hourly metered customers with so-called obliged supply agreements. The directions were first applied in the first quarter of 2005 and led to down-regulation of prices for a number of supply companies. The analysis shows that the competition works satisfactorily and should rather be supplied with other steps such as increased information. Moreover the analysis points out that the price regulation that is currently done cannot easily be combined with the goal of a free electricity market. Price regulation will hamper new business start-ups and innovation, in addition to the fact that market-based contracts run the risk of being ousted. The method that is now in use in the price regulation is questioned. The Energy Authority obtains reference figures for mark-up, for one thing, from the Norwegian Competition Authority. The emphasis placed on the Norwegian reference figures is not known. But a direct comparison is difficult because the consumption figures are different.