site.btaGo-live for Extension of SDAC (MRC) to Bulgaria-Greece Border Scheduled for May 11

Sofia, March 9 (BTA) - The launch of coupling operations of the
Bulgarian bidding zone in the IBWT regional framework is the
next step towards the achievement of the single day-ahead
European electricity market, which is expected to reach its
completion this year with the connection of the 4M MC borders
(Czechia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) with MRC through the
Interim Coupling project and finally through the Bulgaria -
Romania market coupling project on the common border, executive
director of the Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange (IBEX)
Konstantin Konstantinov was quoted as saying on the IBEX
website.

The Bulgaria - Greece Market Coupling Project was launched as a
part of the IBWT regional project with the official IBWT SC
decision on the 1st of March 2020. All the involved parties
followed the mutually agreed planning and completed successfully
 all the preparations for the testing, which will take place
between 16 March and 30 April 2021. The project testing phase
will also include member tests at the end of April, according to
 IBEX.

IBEX in its capacity of NEMO for the Bulgarian electricity
market, and ESO as Bulgarian TSO are already operating the
Bulgarian electricity market in isolated mode, but in full
compliance with the MRC procedures and using the Price Coupling
of Regions (PCR) assets, since January 2016. For the Bulgarian
NEMO, TSO, local generators, consumers and traders, this project
 represents the first ever possibility in the day-ahead time
frame to join the EU common market and to benefit from the
possibilities that the electricity markets integration and the
EU target model are offering, the IBEX release reads.

The expected Go-live for the extension of the SDAC (MRC) to the
Bulgaria - Greece border, is scheduled for 11 May 2021 (with 1st
 delivery day 12 May) subject to the positive confirmation on
the finalization of the testing activities and the relevant
approvals by the Greek and Bulgarian NRAs, IBEX informs.

NV/MT