International Trade in Sustainable Electricity

This book explores the regulatory challenges posed by the changing landscape of electricity trade to the multilateral trading system.

This book targets policy-makers, academics and those in the civil society concerned with how trade in electricity is changing and its effects on climate. It examines developments in electricity trade integration, and explores the reasons, the implications for the trade and investment legal framework, and the future agenda for long-distance trade in renewable energy.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.