Publication date: Nov 2, 2025 EPRX Revises FY2026 Balancing Market Rules to Encourage Greater Participation
EPRX Revises FY2026 Balancing Market Rules to Encourage Greater Participation
The Electricity Power Reserve eXchange (EPRX), which operates the balancing market, has held an online briefing session to explain revisions to trading rules for FY2026 onwards. A total of 238 participants attended the briefing session. Originally, EPRX was jointly established by the nine transmission system operators (TSOs) in 2021 and became fully operational (all five of its products) in April 2024, yet the market structure remains unconsolidated. The main changes expected to be in force from the start of FY2026 are as follows:
– Four products: Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR), Synchronized Frequency Restoration Reserve (S-FRR), Frequency Restoration Reserve (FRR), and Replacement Reserve (RR), will shift to day-ahead trading in 30-minute intervals.
– Balancing capacity will be measured not only at the receiving point but also at the “equipment point” (device-level measurement), allowing participation by low-voltage resources.
– Wide-area operation of the product Synchronized Frequency Restoration Reserve (S-FRR) will commence.
– Assessment requirements will be relaxed for small-volume contracts.
Regarding device-level measurement and participation of low-voltage resources, the EPRX Secretariat recognizes that business operators need to prepare before the introduction of the new rules, so careful explanations are required. Based on these changes, EPRX plans to revise its trading rules on March 14, 2026. The annual briefing on the regular system transition will be held on December 19, 2025.
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Since its full operation, the balancing market has seen a persistent shortfall in both bid volumes and contracted volumes relative to the solicited volumes. With the new revisions, including the shift to day-ahead trading and 30-minute trading intervals, the EPRX expects an increase in contracted volumes. However, the extent to which this new structure will solve the current situation remains uncertain.
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