EU – November 04, 2026 -- Cross-border electricity trading generates about €32 billion in economic surplus each year in the EU day-ahead market alone, and deeper integration across all market timeframes could add at least €4 billion annually, according to the ACER 2026 Monitoring Report.

15-minute products now make up almost 90% of day-ahead volumes

Day-ahead trading has largely moved to 15-minute products, which were introduced on 1 October 2025 to better reflect changing system conditions. Power purchase agreements increasingly pair renewable generation with energy storage, which supports renewable investment and adds flexibility.

Congestion management costs rose to €5.4 billion in 2025

Grid congestion costs climbed from €4.3 billion in 2024 to €5.4 billion in 2025. A growing share is linked to voltage control following the Iberian blackout.

Cross-zonal capacity rules remain only partly implemented

The requirement to make at least 70% of capacity available for cross-border electricity trading is not yet fully applied across the EU. Intraday and balancing markets, which operate closer to real time, are particularly affected by limited cross-zonal access.

Price differences between bidding zones are widening, which raises the importance of making sufficient transmission capacity available for trade.

Forward market liquidity stays concentrated in a few bidding zones

Trading activity falls rapidly for contracts beyond one year ahead. ACER says full application of existing rules, including the 70% minimum, would deliver significant gains for consumers in the coming years, with close-to-real-time cross-zonal trading growing in value as renewable generation expands.