Energy markets are those commodities markets that deal specifically with the trade and supply of energy. Energy market may refer to an electricity market, but can also refer to other sources of energy. Typically energy development is the result of a government creating an energy policy that encourages the development of an energy industry in a competitive manner.

Liberalization and Regulation

Energy markets have been liberalizated in some countries.

They are regulated by authorities, including liberalizated markets, to protect consumer rights and avoid oligopolies.

Regulators includes the Australian Energy Market Commission in Australia, the Energy Market Authority in Singapore, the Energy Community in Europe, replacing the South-East Europe Regional Energy Market and the Nordic energy market for Nordic countries. Members of the European Union are required to liberalise their energy markets.

Regulators seek to discourage volatility of prices, reform markets if needed and search for evidence of anti-competitive behaviour such as trying the formation of a monopoly.

Due to the oil price increases since 2003 and speculation, energy markets are being reviewed and by 2008 several conferences were organised to address the energy market sentiments of petroleum importing nations.^[1] In Russia the markets are being reformed by the introduction of harmonized and all-Russian consumer prices.^[2]

United States

A recent example of the failure of market oversight enabled Enron to manipulate the energy markets in the United States.

During 2008 in the United States the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is conducting an investigation of energy market conditions.

International Energy Market

See also

• Commodity value
• Demand destruction
• Energy crisis
• Energy derivative
• Energy intensity
• Food vs fuel
• Global warming
• Greenhouse gas
• Renewable energy commercialization
• Spark spread

References

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