Electricity auctions: A European view on markets and practices

The present market structure of most of European countries offers several opportunities to market agents (producers, consumers, traders, etc.). In this paper the main European electricity markets are analyzed and compared from the point of view of bidding mechanism, price formation and timing. The focus is on the Day Ahead Market (DAM), the IntraDay Market (IDM), the Balance Market (BM). A deep knowledge of the electricity markets rules may be fundamental to plan a profitable operation of a single plant or of a portfolio of plants. This paper analyzes the projects promoted by European Agencies, i.e. ACER and ENTSOE, aimed at increasing the level of harmonization in EU electricity markets. As a matter of fact different options chosen in different countries may complicate the international contracts. Instead, the standardization of contracts may help create a common EU market for electricity. The paper gives a cross-country view of electricity auctions rules in the EU and compare them to highlight the most attractive solutions for auctioning contracts.