Characteristics and Trends in the Development of Competitive Relations in the Energy Sector: Private Law Aspect

The article examines the legal aspects of the development of competitive relations in the wholesale and retail electricity markets and in heat supply. The main gaps and conflicts of energy legislation in terms of ensuring the development of competitive relations in the energy markets are considered, among which organizational, methodological, structural problems, as well as problems of regulatory regulation of the energy sector are highlighted. The peculiarities of the development of competitive relations in the energy sector are also highlighted, including the presence of objective limitations for the development of competition, the presence of specific legal mechanisms for stimulating and developing of competition in the energy market, as well as the forms of competitive relations inherent in this field (quasi-competition), including special types of selections and contests. The legal features of quasi-competition mechanisms in the energy sector have also been revealed. The key trends in the development of competition in the energy market are the development of specific forms of non-price competition, the expansion of the market scale through the formation of cross-border markets (for the wholesale energy market), as well as the development of regional trading platforms (for retail energy markets).