Late last week a joint statement from Anglo-Dutch energy exchange APX and German exchange giant EPEX Spot said the two plan to integrate their operations both in the UK and in Central Western Europe, referring to the merger as a “a leap forward” for European power trading.
APX is one of two exchanges which offer a platform for trading wholesale UK power in the daily auction which is linked to European exchanges as part of the market coupling project.
“It is not only a logical step in the course of the history of both APX Group and EPEX Spot. This is a leap forward for power trading in CWE and facilitates the creation of the European power market”, said chairman of the EPEX Spot management board Jean-François Conil-Lacoste.
The exchanges said that market participants will benefit from “harmonised trading systems, one single rulebook and one admission process for the entire region, therefore reducing trading costs and lowering entry barriers for new participants”.
In addition the newly merged offering will allow a greater access to a wider range of products and benefit from “best-of-both” standards and customer support.
“Overall, the integration will lead to a more effective governance and further facilitate the creation of a single European power market fully in line with the objectives of the European electricity regulatory framework,” the exchanges said.