Deregulation and electricity markets in the USA

As the electric power industry enters the twenty-first century, powerful driving forces and uncertainties are compelling electric utilities to make dramatic changes in the way they do business. In the United States, deregulation at both the Federal and state levels is bringing individual utilities face to face with the challenges of increased competition. While transmission and distribution functions are regulated and largely noncompetitive, they are being transformed, and competition is intense in generation and power marketing. Moreover, retail services are likely to become highly competitive as well, although genuine residential competition may not be widespread until as late as 2003