ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the legislative, political and technological features hampering international electricity exchanges. It compares two periods; from the late nineteenth century to the Interwar period, with the post-World War II period. The first era comprises the early years of electricity, lasting until World War I. The second era Interwar years was characterised by a contested process of legislation. The chapter argues that three major governance shifts - namely, during the Interwar, post-World War II, and since the 1970s - were the result of changed thinking about system goals - technological and socio-political ones. These shifts were directed at influencing international electricity exchanges. The liberalism prior to the Great War, with cross-border connections, was replaced by nationalism as domestic interests were prioritised. Professional associations and intergovernmental organisations argued for more liberal electricity regime. A consensus emerged among engineers that a gradual construction of a European system was the way to go, and this should go accompanied with a liberal system.
