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Empirical Validation of a Dual-Defense Mechanism Reshaping Wholesale Electricity Price Dynamics in Singapore

Huang Zhenyu, Yuan Zhao

arXiv 13 Feb 2026 · eess.SY

arXiv:2602.12782 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

While ex-ante screening and static price caps are global standards for mitigating price volatility, Singapore's electricity market employs a unique dual-defense mechanism integrating vesting contracts (VC) with a temporary price cap (TPC). Using high-frequency data from 2021 to 2024, this paper evaluates this mechanism and yields three primary findings. First, a structural trade-off exists within the VC framework: while VC quantity (VCQ) suppresses average prices, it paradoxically exacerbates instability via liquidity squeezes. Conversely, VC price (VCP) functions as a tail-risk anchor, dominating at extreme quantiles where VCQ efficacy wanes. Second, a structural break around the 2023 reform reveals a fundamental re-mapping of price dynamics; the previously positive pass-through from offer ratios to clearing prices was largely neutralized post-reform. Furthermore, diagnostics near the TPC threshold show no systematic evidence of strategic bid shading, confirming the TPC's operational integrity. Third, the dual-defense mechanism exhibits a critical synergy that resolves the volatility trade-off. The TPC reverses the volatility penalty of high VCQ, shifting the elasticity of conditional volatility from a destabilizing 0.636 to a stabilizing -0.213. This synergy enables the framework to enhance tail-risk control while eliminating liquidity-related stability costs. We conclude that this dual-defense mechanism successfully decouples price suppression from liquidity risks, thereby maximizing market stability.

Citation extraction

32
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37
in-text mentions
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distinct cited
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main-text words

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Energy Market Authority (2023) Enhancements to the Regulatory Regime for Electricity Retailers0.64422100%
2Loi, Tian Sheng Allan and Jindal, Gautam (2019) Electricity market deregulation in Singapore–Initial assessment of wholesale prices0.64422100%
3Pollitt, Michael G and von der Fehr, Nils-Henrik M and Willems, Bert… (2024) Recommendations for a future-proof electricity market design in Europe in light of the 2021-23 energy crisis0.64422100%
4Cicala, Steve (2022) Imperfect markets versus imperfect regulation in US electricity generation0.51121100%
5Ding, Wenfu and Wang, Lingzhi and Tian, Gaoliang (2026) Electricity spot market reform and overcapacity in fossil-fired power firms: A quasi-natural experiment based on China power mar…0.51121100%
6Bonaldo, Cinzia and Caporin, Massimiliano and Fontini, Fulvio (2022) The relationship between day-ahead and future prices in electricity markets: An empirical analysis on taly, France, Germany, and…0.40511100%
7Bowring, Joseph (2013) Capacity markets in PJM0.40511100%
8Busby, Joshua W and Baker, Kyri and Bazilian, Morgan D and Gilbert,… (2021) Cascading risks: Understanding the 2021 winter blackout in Texas0.40511100%
9Chang, Youngho (2007) The New Electricity Market of Singapore: Regulatory framework, market power and competition0.40511100%
10Ciarreta, Aitor and Damoun, Anas and Espinosa, Maria Paz (2025) A restructured Moroccan electricity market and its interaction with the Iberian power market0.40511100%

Showing the top 10 of 32 scored citations.