International Trade in Sustainable Electricity Regulatory Challenges in International Economic Law

Cross-border trade in electricity is rapidly expanding as a result of technical innovations, economic and geopolitical developments, and the ongoing decarbonisation of the electricity sector in response to climate change. The expansion of electricity networks and the integration of increasing shares of renewable energy (RE) electricity into the grid have made long-distance electricity flows both feasible and desirable. Drawing on the work of experts in trade and energy law and policy, and offering novel, multidisciplinary perspectives on the rapidly evolving landscape shaping international trade in electricity, this book examines the most important challenges - technical, economic, legal and policy-related - posed by long-distance and sustainable electricity trade. The book explores the regulatory implications of the policy instruments aimed at supporting RE electricity and considers how best to promote greater overall coherence in international electricity governance.

List of figures; List of tables; List of contributors; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction and overview Thomas Cottier and Ilaria Espa; Part I. Towards a Global Grid: Foundations and Challenges: 2. The state of play in cross-border electricity trade and the challenges towards a global electricity market environment Spyridon Chatzivasileiadis and Damien Ernst; 3. Technological challenges and new frontiers in international electricity trade Anderes P. Houmøller; 4. Economic and geopolitical detriments of trade in electricity David Robinson; 5. Good governance for a global electricity grid - what are the ingredients? Steivan Defilla; Part II. Regional Experiences in Promoting (Green) Electricity Trade: 6. Towards a New Deal for the integration of renewable power generation in the internal energy market: a regulatory perspective on European climate and energy policy Jérome Le Page; 7. The North American experience Fereidoon P. Sioshansi; 8. Developing ASIAN green electricity in the context of the ASEAN Community 2025 Sufian Jusoh; 9. The African experience Callixte Kambada; 10. Latin American experiments in promoting green electricity Carolina M. Lembo and Belisa E. Eleoterio; Part III. Interconnectivity Issues: 11. Interconnections in electricity transportation: implications for international trade law Yulia Selivanova; 12. Preferential connection and integration of electricity generators using renewable energy sources: critical assessment of the EU rules Karolis Gudas; 13. The treatment of restrictions and financial charges on imports and exports of electricity under EU and WTO law Ilaria Espa; 14. The integrations of electricity from renewable energy sources in the European Union electricity market: the case for 'smart grids' Joëlle De Sépibus; 15. Markets for adequacy and flexibility: an interoperability perspective Christian Kunze; Part IV. Levelling the Playing Field: Regulatory Challenges: 16. ASCM disciplines and recent WTO case law developments: what space for 'green' subsidies? Luca Rubini; 17. Dumping and subsidy issues in the renewable energy sector Edwin Vermulst and Madison Meng; 18. Promoting green electricity through differentiated electricity tax schemes Kateryna Holzer, Ilaria Espa and Tetyana Payosova; 19. Competition policy, monopolies and the role of the state in promoting green electricity Olga Nartova; 20. Transfer of technology and a global clean energy grid Frederick M. Abbott; 21. The role of the fair and equitable treatment standard: regulatory coherence for trade and investment in renwable energy Sofya Matteotti and Tetyana Payosova; Index.

Thomas Cottier is Emeritus Professor of European and International Economic Law at Universität Bern, Switzerland, a senior research fellow at the World Trade Institute, and adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He was educated at Universität Bern and the University of Michigan Law School, and was a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge. He was the Deputy-Director General of the Swiss Intellectual Property Office and served as a member or chair of several GATT and WTO panels.
Ilaria Espa is a postdoctoral researcher at the World Trade Institute (WTI), Universität Bern, Switzerland, the Scientific Coordinator of the WTI Doctoral Programme and a lecturer at the Università degli Studi di Milano. A former Marie Curie fellow, she received her Ph.D. in International Law and Economics from Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milano. Her dissertation, Export Restrictions on Critical Minerals and Metals: Testing the Adequacy of WTO Disciplines, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015.