The first subset of European bidding zone borders, which includes the border between bidding zones Croatia and Slovenia, has successfully implemented the 30-minute Intraday Cross-Zonal Gate Closure Time (IDCZGCT). This marks an important step in the ongoing process to harmonize intraday market timings across Europe, in line with the Electricity Market Design Reform.
The IDCZGCT represents the last opportunity for market participants to get cross-border trades matched before electricity delivery begins. Reducing this time from 60 minutes to 30 minutes before delivery better synchronizes operations with generation, giving participants greater flexibility to adjust their positions. Shorter lead times also facilitate renewable integration by enabling participants to refine their trading positions closer to delivery and respond to the latest generation forecasts, helping to lower overall balancing costs.
To enable this implementation, TSOs undertook significant enhancements to their operational systems, working in close cooperation across borders to ensure that processes could seamlessly support the reduced lead time in the control rooms. The transition will progressively unfold, with additional borders joining the shift to the 30-minute IDCZGCT in the upcoming years. By 2029, with the expiration of the first derogation period, most of the European borders are expected to apply this timing. For further information, TSOs will keep publishing updates on implementation timelines for each bidding zone border on ENTSO-E’s website.
In parallel with the European go-live, the reduction of the intraday trading gate closure time on CROPEX within the Croatian bidding zone (RH) has also been successfully implemented. Intraday trading on CROPEX now closes 15 minutes before the start of delivery, providing market participants with increased flexibility and the ability to adjust trading positions closer to real time.