North Macedonia rolls out intraday power trading to align with Europe’s electricity market

North Macedonia has taken another step toward closer integration with Europe’s electricity market by officially launching an intraday electricity trading platform. For investors and market participants, the development matters because it changes how quickly supply and demand can be balanced in real time—an area that directly affects system efficiency, operating costs, and exposure to price volatility.

How the intraday market works

The new system enables electricity to be traded during the actual delivery day, giving participants greater flexibility to manage imbalances as conditions evolve. Authorities say the mechanism is expected to improve overall system efficiency, reduce balancing costs, and strengthen real-time control of the national power grid.

Reform momentum and resilience priorities

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the launch reflects progress from ongoing energy-sector reforms. He framed energy security and system resilience as strategic priorities across Europe, adding that the new market structure should help North Macedonia respond more effectively to price swings and regional fluctuations.

A staged path toward European coupling

Energy Minister Sanja Božinovska described the intraday platform as only one phase of a broader market-integration effort. She said North Macedonia plans to keep developing additional trading mechanisms, expand regional electricity cooperation, and gradually move toward participation in European market coupling systems.

Transparency benefits—and potential EU compliance pressure

Zoran Gjorgievski, director of MEMO, said the new trading segment brings real-time market functionality to the Macedonian electricity sector while improving price transparency through competitive, market-based trading. He also cautioned that upcoming EU climate instruments—specifically the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)—could increase pressure on domestic producers. In his view, if CBAM is not implemented gradually and in a balanced way, it could also affect market liquidity.

Technology behind the platform

The platform was developed by MEMO in cooperation with BSP, using the M7 trading system developed by Deutsche Börse. Officials said intraday trading should enhance market efficiency, strengthen regional connectivity, and support North Macedonia’s longer-term energy transition alongside its EU integration objectives.

With intraday trading now live, North Macedonia is effectively tightening the link between real-time operations and price formation—an operational shift that could help reduce costly imbalances while laying groundwork for deeper alignment with European power-market structures.