Four power exchanges in Western Balkans to be launched by mid-2023

Albania, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and North Macedonia are planning to launch day-ahead electricity markets within 11 months.

The inauguration of the power exchanges in four Energy Community contracting parties would make a big step forward having in mind that only Serbia has an operational power exchange – SEEPEX.

According to the fourth edition of the Energy Community Secretariat’s Energy Transition Tracker, the need for short-term markets and their integration is very important for the uptake of renewables, but also for the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

A recent proposal of the European Commission on the CBAM, which sets market coupling as one of the conditions for its exemption, further amplified the urgency of setting up day-ahead markets, the secretariat said.

The launch of new trading platforms is still uncertain

According to the tracker, progress was made in setting up day-ahead electricity markets in Western Balkans, however, the launch of new trading platforms is still uncertain.

Power exchange operators MEPX in Montenegro, ALPEX in Albania, entrusted to operate also the Kosovo* market, and most recently, MEMO in North Macedonia have completed tender procedures and concluded agreements with selected service providers for establishing their day-ahead markets.

ALPEX’s agreement assumes also the establishment of an intraday market in Albania and Kosovo*.

North Macedonia and Serbia have already appointed MEMO and SEPEX, respectively, as nominated electricity market operators (NEMOs)

“Launch of the day-ahead market in Albania is planned in November 2022, and in Kosovo* two months later along with the coupling of these two bidding zones. The start of operation of day-ahead markets in Montenegro and North Macedonia is expected in Q4 2022 and Q2 2023, respectively,” the tracker reads.

In BiH, setting up a short-term market is still in the discussion phase.

Even though the Regulation on Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management (CACM) has not been officially adopted in the Energy Community yet, North Macedonia has already appointed MEMO as the nominated electricity market operator (NEMO). In Serbia, SEEPEX was designated as NEMO last month.