eCO₂mix - Market data

Tracking and understanding Spot market data

Within Europe’s electricity market, international trade is governed by what are known as spot prices. On the electricity market, these are determined by the Spot market for the day ahead. In Europe, spot prices not only reflect needs for exchange expressed by the market but also the available interconnection capacities.

For as long as interconnection capacities have not been reached, there are no pricing differences between countries. Conversely, insufficient exchange capacity creates a price difference between wholesale markets.

The data provided by the éCO2mix app highlights the importance of Europe’s interconnected network by giving an overview of prices on the wholesale electricity market.

This data comes from:

• EPEX SPOT SE for Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
• Various stock exchanges via the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform for other countries.

Note: UK prices – that were initially shown in pound sterling – have been converted into Euros by using the rates of the Banque de France.

Learn more about Europe’s interconnected network

Europe’s power transmission system carries power flows across 34 countries. This network is needed in order to maintain security of supply, to create a European electricity market and to integrate renewables.
 
Interconnections make it possible to share generation facilities and benefit from the interdependent energy mixes of the different European countries. Solar energy, which is predominantly found in Southern Europe, offshore wind energy in the north and hydro in Scandinavia and the Alps, can supply all European countries.
 
Through the creation of a European electricity market, interconnections enable electricity suppliers to sell their energy to customers located in other countries of the European Union. They physically support the operation of markets, thereby rationalising generation capacity on a European scale.
 
In France, interconnections are formed by 46 lines along six borders.

Learn more about the ENTSO-E European Transparency Platform

In the early part of 2015, RTE and its fellow transmission system operators set up the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform via the European Network of TSOs for Electricity (ENTSO-E). Shared by 28 EU countries, its purpose is to provide all market players with essential data pertaining to Europe’s electricity market.
 
These new publications, issued pursuant to the European "Transparency" regulation 2013-543, mark a new stage in Europe’s integration of the electricity market.