The Electricity Market Fourth Hour: New Start Date Confirmed

What does this change imply?

The move from 60-minute intervals (MTU60) to 15 minutes responds to a growing need for greater accuracy and flexibility in the management of electricity generation and demand. This transformation will allow market players to more accurately reflect their consumption and production profiles, reducing deviations and improving the efficiency of the electricity system.

In OMIE's words, this measure "offers market players greater flexibility in managing their consumption and production forecasts".

Why has it been delayed?

Although most of the project participants were technically ready for the planned June 11 launch, some key players did not reach the required level of readiness. As a result, and within the project governance framework, it was decided to postpone the launch to September 30, 2025.

Alternative scenarios were evaluated, but did not prove feasible within the current schedule. Joint technical and procedural testing was successfully completed, and testing with market players is progressing positively. Even so, all participants are encouraged to continue testing to ensure a smooth transition.

What has happened in the Spanish market?

In Spain, intraday markets have already adopted 15-minute products since March 18, 2025, although their impact has been limited. Many marketers continue to bill on an hourly basis, and the hourly average is still the main reference for consumers.

Red Eléctrica has been working with quarter-hourly forecasts since March 2024, especially in the balancing market, where large plants are already metered and settled with this granularity.

What does this mean for our customers?

The implementation of the new quarter-hour model (MTU15) will not have a significant impact for most consumers, especially for customers and users who have contracted tariffs with fixed prices, such as our 24H Tariff will not suffer any impact.

In the case of customers with indexed tariffs such as our Market Tariff, where prices vary according to the wholesale market, they could benefit from more accurate adjustments, as the price of energy can better reflect times of low demand or higher renewable production.

Although it will not have an impact on electricity bills, this transition is one more step towards a greener and more optimized system, by adjusting prices better to the reality of market supply and demand, since it is not the same photovoltaic power generation at 9:00 or 10:00 am, than at 9:45 or 10:45 am.

Still have doubts about how this change affects you?

At Nordy, we closely follow every market evolution to ensure that our customers and users are always informed and prepared. We will continue to keep you informed of any new developments.

And if you still have any doubts, contact us and our team of experts will help you understand how to get the most out of the new electric quarter-hour model.