COLUMN-EU polarised on how to avoid blackouts: Gerard Wynn  Fri
Nov 23, 2012 9:19am EST   By Gerard Wynn  LONDON Nov 23
(Reuters) - The European Union's executive Commission has
spelled out clearer opposition to state intervention in domestic
electricity markets even as countries including Britain, Germany
and France propose capacity markets.  A decision over how and
whether to intervene in power markets is central to how the EU
manages more intermittent renewable power, retires ageing coal
and nuclear fleets, avoids blackouts and limits hikes in retail
bills, all at the same time.  This comes against a backdrop of
falling credit quality of utilities as poor demand and more
intermittent renewables suppress peak power prices, posing the
risk of under-investment in baseload thermal power to balance
wind and solar when these are unavailable.  Under its "internal
energy market", the Commission believes blackouts can be avoided
by bolstering cross-border gas and power transmission capacity,
sharing and thus balanc