Electricity System Operator EAD (ESO), the Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange EAD (IBEX) and Bulgarian Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) have now jointed the SEE day-ahead market coupling initiative “Western Balkan 6”.
On this occasion, the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Mr Janez Kopač, said: “Only a concerted approach to market coupling in South East Europe will bring the liquidity needed to support competition and efficiency in the market, thus maximizing benefits for energy consumers. Drawing artificial boundaries in an already interconnected area stands against the spirit of the Energy Community and the Energy Union. We are very grateful for the cooperation of our EU partners and sincerely welcome the newest signatories on board. Their participation is key to establishing a truly integrated trading region in South East Europe”.
In 2016, the countries from West Balkan 6 (WB6) that are still not EU members, i.e. Serbia, Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on concerted measures to couple their electricity markets. To boost the regional efficiency of this process, EU Member States that neighbour the WB6 countries, i.e. Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Croatia, and Hungary, were all invited to sign this MoU.
“The signature of WB6 MoU and the support of neighboring EU countries will strengthen the cooperation in planning, system operation and market development in South East Europe and will foster competition and efficient cross-border trade in the region. We appreciate this initiative and the willingness of all involved parties to cooperate and speed up the processes of market coupling in SEE region, especially after the significant steps towards market integration on EU level”. This was ESO’s formal comment on the potential benefits from Bulgaria’s participation in this market coupling initiative.
Source: Electricity system operator
