Lessons from the UK and Norway

There is more than one way to privatize a nation's electric power industry. Britain's new system, for instance, is highly centralized. Norway's restructure power industry, in contrast, is decentralized. Yet despite their differences, the British and Norwegian systems have much in common. Both systems are adjudge more economical that before. They are both seen as successes by owners of system assets. Both systems now claim a reduction in costs to the end-user. Most significantly, both can claim that restructuring has left system reliability unharmed. There are lessons here for others, especially for the restructuring now current in the US.