Transition to Centralized Unit Commitment: An Econometric Analysis of Colombia’s Experience
The series Working Papers on Economics is published by the Office for Economic Studies at the Banco de la República (Central Bank of Colombia). The works published are provisional, and their authors are fully responsible for the opinions expressed in them, as well as for possible mistakes. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Banco de la República or its Board of Directors.
This paper evaluates the impact of Resolution CREG 051 on the performance of the electricity markets in Colombia. We found out that productive efficiency has improved since the introduction of the Resolution, that is, the total costs of producing electricity have been reduced. This shows a positive impact of the Resolution. On the other hand, we also found that mark-ups and forward energy prices (from bilateral contracts) have increased since 2009, suggesting that there was an increase in the exercise of market power by producers. From the two previous points, we conclude that, although the productive efficiency has increased, the larger share of the efficiency gains were appropriated by the energy producers, rather than passed on to consumers.
The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not represent those of the Banco de la República or its Board of Directors.
