Power Pools - Cross Boarder Harmonisation and Creating Regional Scale

Cross border harmonization of the electricity transmission network, regulatory principles and tariff frameworks at regional and continental levels are expected to bring about massive benefits, these include increased cross-border trading and power pooling, as well as enhanced access to electricity at regional and continental levels. But how can regional power pools and their core member utilities engage private sector entities such as generators, traders and industrial consumers to get involved? How can they create scalable opportunities, innovative business models and new market structures that are sustainable, equitable and competitive?

Areas for discussion include:

• From the perspective of Power Pools, what is the state of technical preparedness to enable full regional connectivity?
• What are the regulatory frameworks that would enable the smooth operation of power pools once full connectivity has been achieved?
• Effectively functioning power pools will require further investment in underlying infrastructures and a critical mass of distributed generation capacity, but also a shift in thinking from short-term oriented objectives towards long-term gains. What role would the private sector play in this?