Local Government and the Energy Sector: A Comparison of France, Iceland and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The energy sector has undergone significant transformations following the adoption of international, European and national policies regarding climate change and market liberalisation. This has created new spaces of intervention as well as new obligations for local governments. This chapter looks at the changes observed in the management of this local public service in France, Iceland and the UK. The three countries experienced a similar historical evolution of the energy sector with a slow opening towards private partners and an increasing role of local governments. Yet today’s services are quite different in terms of renewable energy generation as well as transmission and distribution. There does not seem to be a harmonised path towards a low-carbon energy sector.