Conference Overview

Welcome to the 10th Annual Energy Cross Border Trading and Balancing Market Forum. This year, our forum will cover critical and timely topics that impact the European energy market. Below is an overview of the key sessions and discussions planned for the event:

1. Europe between Electrical Energy Shortage and Surplus

• Seasonal Challenges: We will explore the dichotomy of energy shortage risks in winter and the surplus generated by the extension of renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaic, in spring.
• System Operation Impacts: Discussions will focus on how these fluctuations impact system operations across Europe.
• Role of Short-term Markets: The importance of short-term electricity markets in coordinating and mitigating these effects will be highlighted.

2. Current Status of European Balancing Platforms

• TSO Access Struggles: An in-depth look at the challenges some Transmission System Operators (TSOs) face in accessing European Balancing Platforms, with insights into the reasons behind these struggles.
• Future Accessions: Updates on new accessions expected in 2024 and an overview of the current situation in balancing markets, including the development of economic surplus.

3. On the Way to European Balancing Capacity Markets

• ACER’s Advocacy: A discussion on ACER’s active advocacy for co-optimizing the allocation of cross-zonal capacity for balancing and scheduled energy, an approach that is currently not favoured by Network of European Market Operators (NEMOs) or TSOs.
• COBRA Project: Introduction to the COBRA project, where several European TSOs are developing a market-based allocation approach.
• Probabilistic Approach Initiative: Presentation on the upcoming mid-2025 go-live of Austria (AT), Czech Republic (CZ), and Germany (DE) with a probabilistic approach for exchanging automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR) capacity at their borders. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of these significant initiatives and their progress.

4. First Experience with European Intraday Auctions

• New Auction Introduction: We will cover the introduction of new intraday auctions.
• Early Experiences: Sharing initial experiences regarding traded volumes, price convergence, and other relevant metrics to provide valuable insights.

We look forward to engaging discussions and valuable insights from industry leaders and experts throughout the forum.