Vol. 56 No. 3 (2026)
ECOLOGY AND ECONOMY

Carbon Pricing in the Russian Electric Power Industry: Goals, Challenges and Possible Organizational Forms

I.A. Makarov
Institute for the Economics of Natural Resources and Climate Change HSE University
D.S. Ivashkin
Institute for the Economics of Natural Resources and Climate Change HSE University

Published 2026-05-21

Keywords

  • carbon price; carbon pricing; carbon tax; emissions trading systems; border carbon adjustment; electricity market; indirect energy emissions

How to Cite

1.
Makarov И, Ivashkin Д. Carbon Pricing in the Russian Electric Power Industry: Goals, Challenges and Possible Organizational Forms. ECO [Internet]. 2026 May 21 [cited 2026 May 29];56(3):88-116. Available from: https://ecotrends.ru/index.php/eco/article/view/4969

Abstract

This paper examines the key principles and elements of carbon pricing in the power sector, which plays a crucial role in global decarbonization. Drawing on international experience and taking into account the Russian industry and country context, we estimate the potential for implementation of carbon price in Russia in order to stimulate structural shifts in the industry toward low-carbon generation. Challenges of implementation of the carbon price in the Russian power sector include the presence of energy-deficit regions, high inflation risks, low competition, and the inertia of the current economic model. Under these conditions, the application of a carbon price to indirect greenhouse gas emissions from end consumers is an acceptable compromise.

References

  1. Аверченков А.А., Галенович А.Ю., Сафонов Г.В., Федоров Ю.Н. Регулирование выбросов парниковых газов как фактор повышения конкурентоспособности России. ФГУП ГНЦ РФ ВНИИгеосистем, 2013.
  2. Башмаков И.А. Налог на углерод в системе налогов на энергию и экологических налогов // Нефть. Газ. Химия: ООС. 2018. № 3. С. 12–24.
  3. Волошин В.И., Качелин А.С., Шимко О.В. Российская энергетика в условиях санкций: новые вызовы и перспективы: Доклад. М.: Институт экономики РАН, 2024. 118 с.
  4. Долматов И.А., Сасим С.В. Оценка состояния конкуренции на оптовом рынке электроэнергии // Проблемы прогнозирования. 2022. № 2(191). С. 94–104. DOI: 10.47711/0868–6351–191–94–104
  5. Макаров И.А., Степанов И.А. Углеродное регулирование: варианты и вызовы для России. Вестник Московского университета. Экономика. 2017. (6). C. 3–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38050/01300105201761
  6. Новак А.В. Декарбонизация отраслей ТЭК: решение климатических задач без ущерба для энергобезопаности // Энергетическая политика. 2024. https://energypolicy.ru/dekarbonizacziya-otraslej-tek-reshenie-klimaticheskih-zadach-bez-ushherba-dlya-energobezopasnosti/business/2024/15/12/
  7. Попова И.М. Место систем торговли квотами на выбросы в современном инструментарии политики низкоуглеродного развития // Вестник международных организаций. Т. 17. 2022. № 4. С. 62–94. DOI:10.17323/1996–7845–2022–04–03
  8. Соляник А.И., Веселов Ф.В. Моделирование последствий введения углеродных платежей для потребителей электроэнергии и возможности снижения дополнительной ценовой нагрузки. Управление развитием крупномасштабных систем / Труды Четырнадцатой международной конференции, М., 2021.
  9. Степанов И.А., Галимова К.З. (2021). Цена на углерод: теория и практика регулирования выбросов парниковых газов // Вестник Московского университета. Серия 6. Экономика. № 4. С. 95–116. https://doi.org/10.38050/01300105202145
  10. Степанов И.А. Налоги в энергетике и их роль в сокращении выбросов парниковых газов // Экономический журнал ВШЭ. 2019. Т. 23. № 2. С. 290–313.
  11. Уринсон Я.М., Кожуховский И.С., Сорокин И.С. Реформирование российской электроэнергетики: результаты и нерешенные вопросы // Экономический журнал ВШЭ. 2020. № 24(3). С. 323–339.
  12. Baranzini A., Jeroen, van den Bergh, Carattini S., Howarth R., Padilla E., Roca J. (2017). Carbon pricing in climate policy: seven reasons, complementary instruments, and political economy considerations, WIREs Climate Change, 8: e462. DOI: 10.1002/wcc.462
  13. Bielecki (2023). Relation of CO2 emission allowance prices and electricity prices in Poland in 2013–2020. Economics and Environment. No. 84(1). Pp. 76–95. DOI: 10.34659/eis.2023.84.1.573
  14. Boute, A. (2016). The Impossible Transplant of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme: The Challenge of Energy Market Regulation. Transnational Environmental Law. DOI: 10.1017/S2047102516000133
  15. Coria, J., Jaraite, J (2015). Carbon Pricing: Transaction Costs of Emissions Trading vs. Carbon Taxes. Working Papers in Economics. No. 609. University of Gothenburg.
  16. Fabra, N., Reguant, M. (2014). Pass-Through of Emissions Costs in Electricity Markets. American Economic Review. No. 104(9). Pp. 2872–2899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.104.9.2872
  17. Ferrara, A.R., & Giua, L. (2022). Indirect cost compensation under the EU ETS: A firm-level analysis. Energy Policy. No. 165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112989
  18. Grether, J-M., Mathys, N.A. Melo, J. (2012). Unravelling the worldwide pollution haven effect, The Journal of International Trade and Economic Development. No. 21(1). P. 131. https://ferdi.fr/dl/df-qjghMNUqX77qfLjF9sRbueGj/ferdi-p40-unravelling-the-worldwide-pollution-haven-effect.pdf
  19. Heyne, P. (1973). The economic way of thinking. Chicago, Science Research Associates. 289 p.
  20. Jotzo, A. Loeschel (2014). Emissions Trading in China: Emerging Experiences and International Lessons. Energy Policy. Pp. 3–8. at 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.09.019
  21. Kahn, M. et al. (2021). Long-Term Macroeconomic Effects of Climate Change: A Cross-Country Analysis, NBER Working Pape.r No. 26167.
  22. Leroutier, M. (2022). Carbon pricing and power sector decarbonization: Evidence from the UK. Journal of Environmental Economics and Managemen., Vol. 111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102580
  23. Lise, W., Hobbs, B., Sijm, J. (2010). The Impact of the EU ETS on Prices, Profits and Emissions in the Power Sector: Simulation Results with the COMPETES EU20 Model, Environmental and Resource Economics. No. 47. Pp. 23–44. DOI: 10.1007/s10640–010–9362–9
  24. Misch, F & Wingender, Ph. (2021). Revisiting Carbon Leakage, IMF Working Paper No. 207. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4026406
  25. Moore, N., Großkurth, P., Themann, M. (2019). Multinational corporations and the EU Emissions Trading System: The spectre of asset erosion and creeping deindustrialization, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2018.11.003
  26. Nordhaus, W., Moffat, A. (2017). A survey of global impacts of climate change: replication, survey methods, and a statistical analysis, national bureau of economic research. Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138.
  27. Olasehinde-Williams, G., Akadiri, S.S. (2024). Environmental policy stringency and carbon leakages: a case for carbon border adjustment mechanism in the European Union. Environment, Development and Sustainability. Pp. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668–024–04941–7
  28. Parry, Black S., Zhunussova, K. (2022). Carbon Taxes or Emissions Trading Systems? Instrument Choice and Design, IMF Staff Climate Note. No. 006. International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC.
  29. Porter, M., Linde, C. (1995). Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship, Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 9, No. 4. Pp. 97–118.
  30. Seneviratne, S.I. et al. (2023). Weather and climate extreme events in a changing climate. Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, Cambridge University Press. Pp. 1513–1766. https://doi.org/10. 1017/9781009157896.013
  31. Shim, S. and Lee, J. (2016). Covering Indirect Emissions Mitigates Market Power in Carbon Markets: The Case of South Korea, Sustainability. No. 8. 583p. DOI:10.3390/su8060583
  32. Venmans, F., Ellis, J., Nachtigall, D. (2020). Carbon pricing and competitiveness: are they at odds? Climate Policy. No. 20. Pp. 1070–1091. DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2020.1805291
  33. Verde, S. (2020). The impact of the EU emissions trading system on competitiveness and carbon leakage: the econometric evidence, Journal of Economic Surveys. Vol. 00. No. 0. Pp. 1–24. DOI: 10.1111/joes.12356
  34. Vidovic, D., Marmier, A., Zore, L. and Moya, J. (2023). Greenhouse gas emission intensities of the steel, fertilisers, aluminium and cement industries in the EU and its main trading partners. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, DOI:10.2760/359533, JRC134682
  35. Zeng, Y. (2017). Indirect double regulation and the carbon ETSs linking: the case of coal-fired generation in the EU and China. Energy Policy. No. 111. Pp. 268–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.09.038