National Transmission System Operators in an International Electricity Market

This paper develops a framework for analyzing the incentives of national transmission system operators (TSOs) to supply cross-border interconnection capacity in an international electricity market. Our results show that equilibrium transmission capacity is downward distorted, even in situations where full capacity utilization is inefficient. We derive a method for quantifying these distortions and propose a market design that uniquely implements efficient dispatch of electricity. In this design, the distribution of trade adjustment payments causes TSOs to internalize the full e¤ect of network congestion. The design would improve, for instance, on the current European market design.