EPEX SPOT launches 15-minute MTU products and consolidated Intraday Auction in Switzerland

Effective 3 November 2026 for delivery 4 November 2026, EPEX SPOT's Swiss Day-Ahead and Intraday Auctions moved from hourly to 15-minute MTU time resolution, and the two existing Swiss Intraday auctions were consolidated into a single daily Intraday auction. The change was supported by MATS trading system enhancements, including 15-minute products and Cross Product Matching (CPM) functionality in the Day-Ahead Auction.

The shift to 15-minute granularity and consolidated intraday auction design allows Swiss market participants to better capture short-term price signals and manage increasingly dynamic portfolios amid growing renewable (especially PV) generation, while aligning Swiss market processes more closely with coupled European market standards ahead of potential future cross-border integration.

This is a domestic market structure modernization by EPEX SPOT for Switzerland, moving from hourly to 15-minute MTU in both Day-Ahead and Intraday Auctions and merging two intraday auctions into one. It mirrors the broader European trend (mandated under EU rules) toward 15-minute granularity but is notable because Switzerland is not part of the EU internal electricity market or single day-ahead/intraday coupling. EPEX SPOT's CEO explicitly frames this as a precursor step, with full harmonization benefits contingent on eventual Swiss integration into the wider European market framework via cross-border coupling - a separate, larger policy process not yet committed. The consolidation of two intraday auctions into one is a liquidity-concentration measure distinct from the EU's typical multiple local intraday auction approach, suggesting a Swiss-specific design choice given its smaller market size. The MATS system enhancements (CPM) point to order-matching efficiency gains alongside the granularity change.

EPEX SPOT market rules for Swiss Day-Ahead and Intraday Auctions; collaboration with Swissgrid and clearing partner ECC

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