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Spain Joins EU Shift to 15-Minute Power Pricing Starting Oct. 1

The new cadence is meant to better track variable renewable output and cut balancing costs by aligning prices with real-time conditions.

Overview

  • The first day-ahead auction on Tuesday sets 96 quarter-hour prices for Wednesday, replacing the current 24 hourly slots.
  • The transition is mandated by EU Regulations 2017/2195 and 2019/943 and is being launched in a coordinated move across member states.
  • Market operator OMIE and Red Eléctrica have upgraded systems to handle four times more data, with clearing done via the common EUPHORIA algorithm.
  • Industrial consumers with 15-minute metering can adjust operations to target cheaper intervals, while most households will still be billed on hourly averages under PVPC rules.
  • Wholesale electricity remains volatile, with OMIE showing hourly peaks reaching €199.34/MWh on Sept. 30 ahead of the new pricing granularity.