European Commission opens abuse of dominance investigation into power exchanges

 

European Commission opens abuse of dominance investigation into power exchanges

 

The European Commission is investigating whether the power exchange EPEX Spot SE (EPEX Spot) has abused its dominant position in the market for electricity intra-day trading in at least six member states (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands).

EPEX Spot is the biggest power exchange in many member states where exchanges play an essential role for the safety of the network, as well as facilitating efficient use of green technologies.

The Commission believes that EPEX Spot may have restricted competition in the intra-day markets contrary to Article 102 TFEU.  It suspects that EPEX Spot may be distorting the prices of trading services, which could lead to higher electricity prices for consumers by hindering the cost-effective integration of renewable technologies.

In December 2018, the UK energy regulator Ofgem launched an investigation into concerns that EPEX abused its dominance in the markets for cross-border intra-day electricity trading platforms between the UK and Ireland.  It closed the investigation in June 2019 after accepting commitments from EPEX.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_1523