How to liberalize a thousand TWh market? : restructuring the Russian power sector

Abstract

This paper discusses the Russian electricity reform process up until late 2010. In particular, the paper situates the Russian reform in the international context by comparing it with the experiences of other countries. Further, the paper strives to underline the importance of the reform for the Russian economy at large, both as an inevitable step to avoid a looming energy crisis and as a striking example of implementing a liberal, large-scale economic reform in Putin s Russia.