Three new signatories join WB6 initiative for energy market integration

Three new signatories have joined the Western Balkan Six (WB6) regional electricity market integration initiative, Energy Community announced.

The Romanian transmission system operator CNTEE Transelectrica SA, the Greek transmission system operator IPTO SA and the Greek market operator LAGIE SA have signed the Energy Community’s Western Balkan 6 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on regional electricity market development.

The initiative is aimed at taking steps towards electricity trading on integrated spot markets, regional balancing and regional capacity allocation. The new signatories will join the Programme Steering Committee on day-ahead market integration, whose task is to address all measures and steps needed for going-live of functioning day-ahead markets in and between the signatory countries.

The WB6 Memorandum of Understanding explicitly targets the involvement of ministries, transmission system operators, national regulatory authorities and power exchanges of neighboring EU member states in the market integration projects.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the WB6 members of the Energy Community in April 2016. Original signatories were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

The Italian energy regulator joined in September 2016, and the Croatian Power Exchange CROPEX earlier this month. Discussions with other EU stakeholders are ongoing.