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The European Power Exchange EPEX SPOT and the Transmission System Operator Swissgrid AG started cooperating with the aim to be ready to launch day-ahead market coupling projects in cooperation with other neighboring Transmission System Operators (TSOs).
The partnership is based upon the Price Coupling of Regions (PCR), which was chosen as the market coupling solution for the integration of the European electricity market. It is therefore consistent with the roadmap for the integration of the European internal electricity market published by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).
To this end, on 6 November 2013, with acceptance of the Swiss regulatory authority ElCom, the parties have signed a cooperation agreement defining the scope and the main features of their partnership. EPEX SPOT and Swissgrid will cooperate in day-ahead Market Coupling projects on Swiss borders. This includes the present activities on the Italian Border Market
Coupling Initiative as well as future initiatives on the other Swiss borders.
Furthermore, EPEX SPOT will establish a subsidiary in Switzerland located in Bern, to answer the needs of the Swiss stakeholders and, in particular, to guarantee compliant market data provision to authorities according to Swiss legislation. The cooperation of Swissgrid and EPEX SPOT regarding Market Coupling will use the already existing trading platforms for the Swiss market without introducing new ones. There will be no impact on the current trading possibilities of members on the Swiss market platforms currently operated by EPEX SPOT.
By entering into the «Cooperation Agreement», Swissgrid and EPEX SPOT are making another step to strongly contribute to the integration process of wholesale electricity markets within Europe.
