Integrated Swiss Intraday market launches 26 June 2013
Dortmund / Frick / Leipzig / Stuttgart / Paris, 6 June 2013.
The Swiss Intraday market will be launched on 26 June 2013. It will be integrated from the start with France and Germany via a harmonized mechanism for Intraday implicit cross-border capacity allocation on the Franco-Swiss and German-Swiss borders. This is made possible by a cooperation of the Transmission System Operators (TSO) Amprion and TransnetBW in Germany, RTE in France and Swissgrid in Switzerland, the European Power Exchange EPEX SPOT SE and the clearing house European Commodity Clearing AG (ECC). As of the morning of 26 June 2013, the members of EPEX SPOT will have the opportunity to access an integrated Franco-German / Austrian-Swiss Intraday market.
The updated Intraday allocation rules for the respective borders have been accepted by all relevant National Regulatory Authorities and now are available on the relevant TSO websites.
• French / German IFD rules : http://clients.rte-france.com/lang/an/clients_traders_fournisseurs/services_clients/inter_france_allemagne.jsp
• French / Swiss IFS rules : http://clients.rte-france.com/lang/an/clients_traders_fournisseurs/services_clients/inter_france_suisse.jsp
• German / Swiss rules: http://www.transnetbw.de/strommarkt/engpassmanagement/intraday-de-ch/
As approved by the EPEX SPOT Exchange Council in December 2012, the Swiss Intraday market will be connected via an open interface provided by the TSOs to the capacity platform that is currently used for cross-border Intraday capacity allocation. The Swiss market will henceforth be connected to the German/Austrian and French Intraday markets of EPEX SPOT. Physical and financial settlement of the new power contracts for the Swiss Intraday market will be provided by ECC.
Market participants of all four countries will therefore benefit from pooled liquidity and enhanced harmonization of trading and operational rules. The implicit capacity allocation system will be running in parallel to the explicit capacity allocation (allowing for OTC trading) already in place, ensuring a non-discriminatory access to the cross-border capacity according to the applicable allocation rules for each border (Franco-German, Franco-Swiss and German-Swiss).
Using existing infrastructure with minimal adaptations for current market rules, the extension of the open, flexible and efficient mechanism of Intraday capacity allocation fulfilling the needs of market participants is an efficient step towards the harmonization of Intraday trading in Europe. Consequently, this flexible mechanism will facilitate a smooth migration towards the European Intraday Target Model set by ACER in its Framework Guidelines.
Additionally, TSOs have updated the capacity platform to offer the Intraday cross-border capacity (both for the explicit and implicit access) at the Franco-German border and the Franco-Swiss Border in units of 0.01 MW, instead of 1 MW as today. This will offer additional flexibility to market participants on these borders. On the German-Swiss Border units of 0.001 MW remain as it is applied today. These changes will come into effect in the system during the morning hours of 25 June 2013 and will be additionally communicated by TSOs via web page of the capacity allocation platform www.intraday-capacity.com .
At the same time, EPEX SPOT will change the smallest tradable unit on the French Intraday Market segment from full MWh to 0.1 MWh in anticipation of the necessary volume tick harmonization within the European Intraday Target Model implementation. Further details will be additionally provided by EPEX SPOT via dedicated communication.
COMPANY PROFILES
Amprion GmbH operates Germany's longest extra-high voltage grid, with a circuit length of 11,000 km, and is an important transmission systems operator in Europe. The Amprion grid supplies power to a population of over 27 million from Lower Saxony to the Alps. As an innovative service provider, Amprion provides industrial customers and network partners with maximum security of supply. Its network, with voltage levels of 380,000 and 220,000 volts, is accessible to all players in the electricity market on a non-discriminatory basis and on competitive and transparent terms. Amprion is also responsible for coordinating the interconnected system within Germany and the Northern section of Europe's extra-high voltage network.
European Commodity Clearing AG (ECC) is the central clearing house for energy and related products in Europe. In its function as the central counterparty ECC assumes clearing as well as physical and financial settlement of transactions concluded on APX, the CEGH Gas Exchange of the Vienna Stock Exchange, EEX, EPEX SPOT, HUPX and Powernext or registered for OTC clearing on these exchanges.
EPEX SPOT SE operates the power spot markets for France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Day-Ahead and Intraday). Together these countries account for more than one third of the European electricity consumption. EPEX SPOT SE is a European company (Societas Europaea) based in Paris with a branch in Leipzig. 339 TWh have been traded in 2012 on EPEX SPOT’s power markets, of which 18 TWh on the Intraday markets.
RTE is the operator of the French electricity transmission grid. Company of public service, RTE is responsible of the high and very high voltage grid operation, maintenance, and development. RTE guarantees the right operation of the power system and its reliability. RTE transports electricity between electricity suppliers (French and European) and consumers, who are either electricity distribution operators or industrial consumers directly connected to the transmission grid. With 100,000 km of lines between 63 000 and 400 000 volts and 46 cross-border lines, the network operated by RTE is the most important in Europe. RTE achieved a turnover of € 4,229 million in 2011 and employs approximately 8,400 persons.
Swissgrid is the national grid company, and in its capacity as transmission system operator it ensures the secure, reliable and cost-effective operation of the Swiss high-voltage grid. Swissgrid employs more than 370 highly qualified people from sixteen countries at its sites in Frick, Laufenburg and Vevey. As a member of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), it is also responsible for coordination and grid usage in the cross-border exchange of electricity in Europe. Swissgrid is wholly owned by the seven Swiss electricity companies Alpiq AG, Alpiq Suisse SA, Axpo, BKW FMB Energie AG, CKW AG, ewz and Repower.
TransnetBW GmbH operates the transmission network in Baden-Württemberg. Its legal task is to guarantee system security at all times. TransnetBW monitors and continually operates the electricity flows within Baden-Württemberg as well as the electricity exchange with neighbouring distribution and transmission network operators. The company is the owner of the transmission network infrastructure and is responsible for maintenance and the development of the network in line with requirements. The 380/220-kV transmission network owned by TransnetBW is about 3,331 kilometers long and extends over an area of 34,600 km2. It is available to all players in the electricity market without discrimination and at fair and transparent conditions. With around 380 employees in the future, TransnetBW will achieve an annual turnover in excess of three billion Euros.