Competition among power exchanges increases in the Baltics as EPEX SPOT launches intraday auctions

The Baltic transmission system operators, Latvia’s AS “Augstsprieguma tīkls”, Lithuania’s Litgrid AB and Estonia’s Elering AS, together with their partners, have completed the next stage in enabling multiple power exchanges to operate in the Baltic region. As of 8 September 2026, EPEX SPOT has begun operating in the Intraday Auctions (IDA) segment in the Baltic States alongside Nord Pool.

EPEX SPOT is also scheduled to begin operations in the Day-Ahead Market at the end of September, completing the full roll-out of its services in the Baltic electricity market. This means that EPEX SPOT will be available across all key segments of the wholesale electricity market in the Baltic States.

The IDA market provides electricity market participants with additional opportunities to optimise their positions closer to the time of electricity delivery. This supports more efficient power system balancing and facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity market.

As previously reported, EPEX SPOT began operating in the continuous intraday market in November 2025, becoming the second Nominated Electricity Market Operator alongside Nord Pool. The introduction of intraday auctions marks the next major milestone in advancing the integration of the European electricity market and strengthening competition.

The multiple power exchange model is being implemented in the Baltic States in accordance with the European Union’s Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management Regulation (CACM). The regulation aims to foster competition among power exchanges, provide market participants with greater choice and support the efficient development of the European electricity market.

The project involves transmission system operators from the Baltic States and neighbouring countries: Latvia’s AS Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST), Estonia’s Elering AS (Elering), Lithuania’s Litgrid AB (Litgrid), Finland’s Fingrid Oyj (Fingrid), Poland’s Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. (PSE) and Sweden’s Affärsverket svenska kraftnät (Svenska kraftnät), as well as the power exchanges Nord Pool and EPEX SPOT.

About AST

AST, the Latvian electrical power transmission system operator, ensures uninterrupted and secure transmission of electricity throughout Latvia. Its vision is to become the leading transmission system operator in the region through the efficient and successful implementation of development-oriented changes. AST has 68.46% shareholding in the capital of the operator of the natural gas transmission and storage system JSC “Conexus Baltic Grid”.