The master thesis “Market Entries in the Energy Industry: Drivers, Strategies, and Responses” investigates drivers that motivate new entrants to make a market entry in the energy industry, with an emphasis on entrants from other industries. Here is the abstract:

This Master’s thesis aims at understanding the drivers that motivate new entrants to make a market entry in the energy industry, with an emphasis on entrants from other industries. Furthermore, it examines the strategies that these new players employ to enter the energy industry. Subsequently, it analyzes the reactions of regional utilities to these market entries. The thesis reveals that these new entrants are primarily driven by factors like decarbonization, diversification, value chain extension, ecosystem building, and data sovereignty. In addition, market entry factors were found to be largely dependent on the industry of origin of the market entry players and driven by industry convergence. Market entry strategies elicited in this regard included internal development, strategic alliances, joint ventures, M&As, and greenfield investments. Responses from regional energy suppliers to these new entrants range from direct competition, market cession, and strategic alliances to lobbying, leveraging regional presence, and in some cases, ignorance. These responses are highly context-dependent, influenced by factors like the supplier’s size, the stage of entry in the value chain, the type of innovation introduced, and the resources as well as the capabilities of the regional energy supplier.