Options and potentials for european electricity imports and exports: A german perspective

In this paper some focal points with major influence on the power exchanges are descibed. The technical restrictions imposed to international trade of electricity by the networks and the costs for power transports are discussed. Further, the electricity sectors of four EU countries and three Central European countries are characterised concerning the market structure, the main energy sources for electricity production and the historical exchanges. The marginal costs of power generation are calculated for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010 to make projections of the future electricity, exchanges using the example of Germany.