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Electricity supply security has received increased attention in both academic literature and relevant policy debate. There is, however, limited discussion about the role of the key actors of the electricity sector and their engagement with security concepts. This research explores the security performance of individual fuel and technology options, focusing on the perceptions of energy policy makers and electricity incumbents towards these options and their main drivers. Energy policy makers and electricity industry experts from incumbent companies in Greece and Poland were interviewed using Multi Criteria Mapping (MCM) to rank options against specific criteria based on quantitative and qualitative input. In addition a new index was developed to quantify electricity supply security as a measure of supply independence. Established energy diversity indices (Shannon- Wiener and Herfindahl- Hirschman) were also calculated. Recent trends in diversity and independence were contrasted with results from the interviews. It was found that low carbon energy options, wind energy, nuclear, hydro and biomass were considered the most secure options by interviewees in Greece. In Poland the first options included the dominant solid fuels, and renewable energy options such as wind energy, hydro power and biomass. However, in Greece, wind was followed by other low-carbon energy options: hydropower, biomass and nuclear. Interviewees did not use analytical frameworks when appraising options and were reluctant to suggest specific criteria for the MCM design. However, when using criteria their training background influenced their choices significantly. The significant differences between the two countries were that: Polish interviewees valued affordability higher than Greek interviewees; diversity was more important to Greek experts; and independence was more important to Polish experts. The findings in Poland suggesting that the status quo was not challenged are consistent with the expectation that the policy preferences serve incumbent interests. It was recommended that the .potential benefits of analytical methods for evaluating energy supply security should be explored further. Finally, fuel mix influencing decisions should be informed by experts of varied backgrounds in order to include all (often mutually contrasting) perspectives. d |
