APX-ENDEX

APX-ENDEX is one of Europe’s most experienced energy exchanges, operating spot and futures markets for electricity and natural gas in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Belgium. APX-ENDEX facilitates the development of liberalised and integrated energy markets in Northwestern Europe by providing an efficient, transparent and secure electronic trading environment for the trading of electricity and natural gas. Established in 1999, the company provides market data and a range of indices for use by traders, energy suppliers and energy-intensive industries.

As Europe moves closer towards realising the EU vision of an integrated market, APX-ENDEX actively works together with its members, other exchanges and TSOs in its own and neighbouring countries to provide integrated trading solutions, such as the market coupling concept and cross-border trading solutions.

APX-ENDEX had a leading role in the introduction of market coupling (or implicit cross-border capacity auctioning), which optimises the use of available transmission capacity. Together with other exchanges and TSOs, APX-ENDEX has introduced market coupling for the Dutch, Belgian and French spot power markets.

Proven to be highly successful, the concept now also includes the German and Luxembourgian markets within the Central Western European (CWE) market coupling project.

Market coupling with Norway and the broader Nordic region is operational through NorNed, the electricity cable between the Netherlands and Norway.

APX-ENDEX is also developing market coupling on the BritNed electricity cable, linking the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which is to go live early 2011.

This market coupling will bring new liquidity to the UK electricity market by the linkage of APX-ENDEX's Power UK spot market to the very liquid Power NL spot market and beyond to Germany, Belgium, France and Norway.

APX-ENDEX is also actively working on integration of the gas markets and has become the major European gas exchange. Based on its position as the most experienced and most liquid gas exchange in Europe by trading on three gas hubs (TTF, NBP and Zeebrugge), APX-ENDEX aims at creating an integrated gas market for Europe.

In 2009, the futures markets of ENDEX were integrated with APX. In the integration process a new name was introduced, combining the strong presence of APX Group on the spot markets and ENDEX on the futures markets into a fully integrated spot and derivatives energy trading solution. The new name APX-ENDEX and a corresponding logo were introduced in the 10-year jubilee celebration on 18 June 2009. Despite the economical crisis, the integrated company enjoyed a 26% growth in 2009, followed by 15% growth in 2010.

In October 2010, APX-ENDEX merged with Belpex, the Belgian Power Exchange. Belpex is a full subsidiary of APX-ENDEX and the resulting group maintains it's current seat in Brussels. The integration merger is seen as an important contribution to the consolidation of energy

Launch of a new exchange

APX-ENDEX is on the verge of launching the world’s first wood pellets exchange later this year. The company’s product manager, Sipke Veer, explains what motivated the development of the exchange and the benefits it will bring.