Regulation in New Natural Gas Markets : The Northern Ireland Experience
So far gas market liberalization has generally occurred in mature markets-particularly where much of the pipeline system has already been laid, as in Argentina, Britain, and the United States. In these cases a competitive structure is appropriate....
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| Format: | Viewpoint |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1999/04/692837/regulation-new-natural-gas-markets-northern-ireland-experience http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11489 |
| Summary: | So far gas market liberalization has
generally occurred in mature markets-particularly where much
of the pipeline system has already been laid, as in
Argentina, Britain, and the United States. In these cases a
competitive structure is appropriate. In new markets,
however, it may be difficult to introduce a competitive
regime from the outset, and a different approach and form of
regulation, such as a period of exclusive licenses, may be
needed. In 1997 the Northern Ireland authorities awarded
Phoenix Natural Gas an exclusive license for a limited
period to develop a new gas market from scratch in the
greater Belfast area. This Note explains the rationale for a
period of exclusivity and describes Northern Ireland's
approach to gas market regulation. |
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