Assessment of the Operation of the Iberian Energy Forward Markets

Published in: Engineering for a Smarter Planet: Innovation, ITC, and Computational Tools for Sustainable Development: Proceedings of the 9th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: August 3-5, 2011
Location of Conference: Medellin, Colombia
Authors: Álvaro Capitán Herráiz
Carlos Rodríguez Monroy
Refereed Paper: #32

Abstract

A comprehensive assessment of the trading development in the Iberian power futures market managed by OMIP (Iberian Energy Market Operator, Portuguese Pool) in its first four and a half years of existence is performed. Evolution of the traded volumes in the continuous market is modelled as a function of factors supposedly performing as key liquidity drivers. This market has steadily grown in number of participants and traded volumes, but still is very far from the levels reached by the most mature European markets (Nord Pool and EEX). Liquidity in the continuous market is favoured by the dominant and fast growing "Over The Counter" (OTC) market, by OTC cleared volumes in the futures market, and by the enrollment of financial agents. Supervision of this market and the regulated forward contracting mechanisms of power and gas in the Iberian Energy Market has been successful. Stronger cooperation between Iberian financial and energy regulators will bring oversight gains, especially for the OTC power market. New Spanish energy derivatives clearing houses and European legislative developments about market integrity and transparency in energy markets will contribute to stronger oversight.