From June 11, 2025, the European power exchange EPEX SPOT will be facing a groundbreaking change. The day-ahead auction, which has both the largest trading volume and is the central case study for European electricity pricing, will be expanded: in future, market participants will not only be able to trade in hourly blocks, but also in quarter-hourly products.
However, the actual change in the auction mechanism is much more far-reaching. The adjustment of the clearing price in Single Day-Ahead Coupling (SDAC): In future, the market price will be determined on a 15-minute basis – the so-called Market Time Unit (MTU). This means that the clearing price will no longer be calculated on an hourly basis, but for each individual quarter-hour segment.
SDAC forms the backbone of the European internal electricity market. It ensures that supply and demand from different bidding zones are brought together efficiently – taking into account the available cross-border transport capacities. This results in an optimal day-ahead price for each bidding zone, which maximizes overall economic welfare.
Map: Single day-ahead coupling (SDAC)
A look back shows the immense importance of these market mechanisms: In June 2024, an IT problem at EPEX SPOT led to a partial decoupling of the day-ahead market. The result? Germany became an “electricity island” and the price in the German-Luxembourg bidding zone exploded to over EUR 2,300/MWh – while it would have remained below EUR 100 with functioning market coupling.
Chart: Exchange electricity prices and trading volumes | Energy-Charts
The switch to a 15-minute MTU is a logical step in the harmonization of the European electricity market. The balancing energy price and intraday prices are already calculated at quarter-hour intervals. The day-ahead market will now follow in order to coordinate all market segments even better.
The advantages of this change:
This innovation is much more than a technical adjustment – it is a milestone on the way to a more efficient and sustainable energy market for consumers, companies and society.
In part 2 of our series, energy market experts Dr. Christof Petrick and Kurt Kretschmer analyze the new opportunities, challenges and market shifts that the 15-minute products bring with them, especially for Germany. Stay tuned!
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