Croatia’s CROPEX electricity trading rebounds in March, though volumes remain down year-on-year

Trading activity on Croatia’s electricity exchange CROPEX improved month-on-month in March 2026, even as overall volumes stayed below the level recorded a year earlier—an outcome investors may read as a sign of uneven market momentum.

March volumes rise versus February, but fall versus last year

CROPEX reported total electricity trading of 989,922.7 MWh in March 2026, representing a 9.2% increase compared with February. The split showed stronger day-ahead participation at 737,162.1 MWh and intraday trading at 252,760.6 MWh.

Despite the monthly uptick, the exchange’s overall traded volume was down 9.6% year-on-year, indicating that activity in March 2026 was softer than in March 2025.

Prices diverge across day-ahead and intraday segments

Price trends varied by market segment. On the day-ahead market, the average daily base price reached 110.12 euros/MWh, up 2.4% from the previous month. By contrast, the average euro-peak price fell to 93.73 euros/MWh, a sharp decline of 17.6% month-on-month.

On the intraday market, the average price was 109.85 euros/MWh, rising 4.9% compared with February.

The average daily traded volume on the day-ahead market was reported at 23,779.4 MWh.

CROPEX role in Croatia’s power market integration

CROPEX was established on 11 March 2016 in cooperation with Nord Pool and functions as Croatia’s central electricity trading platform. It is co-owned by transmission system operator HOPS and market operator HROTE.

The intraday market began operating in April 2017 to provide additional trading flexibility. A further integration milestone came on 19 June 2018, when the day-ahead market was coupled with Multi-Regional Coupling (MRC) markets through the Croatian-Slovenian border—supporting regional market connectivity and cross-border electricity trading.

Taken together, March’s higher volumes alongside mixed price movements highlight improving near-term trading conditions on CROPEX while also reflecting that demand remains weaker than a year ago.