Gestore dei Mercati Energetici S.p.A (GME) was set up by Gestore dei Servizi Energetici S.p.A. (GSE), a company wholly owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. GME carries out its activities in accordance with the guidelines given by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the regulatory provisions issued by the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (ARERA).

GME operates power, gas, fuel and environmental markets. As part of the liberalisation process of the electricity sector, GME was initially vested with the organisation and economic management of the wholesale power market under the principles of neutrality, transparency, objectivity and competition.

GME plays a specific role in market monitoring towards the Italian NRA, in accordance with the Italian NRA regulations 115/2008 and 631/2018/R/Gas, setting up specific provisions for the monitoring of the power and gas market in Italy and in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency (REMIT).

Power markets

On the power market platform managed by GME (also known as Italian Power Exchange, IPEX), producers and purchasers sell and buy wholesale electricity. Regarding power, GME operates a forward physical market (MTE), a day-ahead hourly auction market (MGP), a daily products market (MPEG) – the venue for trading daily products with delivery obligation – and an intraday auction market (MI) structered in seven sessions. It also operates, on behalf of Terna, the Italian TSO, a platform for ancillary services (MSD), which collects the bids and communicates the results as well as a platform for the registration of OTC transactions (PCE). On this platform, parties that have concluded contracts outside IPEX record their commercial obligations and nominate the related electricity injection and withdrawal schedules that they undertake to execute under the same contracts.

Following the approval of the Commission Regulation (EU) 1222/2015 (CACM), GME has been nominated as NEMO for the day-ahead and intraday markets in Italy. GME is also a founding member of PCR, the Price Coupling of Regions project launched by the major European PXs to provide a technical solution for the coupling of day-ahead EU markets, subsequently integrated within the Single Day-ahead Coupling (SDAC) activities under CACM. GME is also a founding member of the XBID project for the delivery of an intraday continuous trading solution for the coupling of intraday EU markets which is now integrated within the Single Intra-Day Coupling (SIDC) activities under CACM.

Gas Markets

GME was also entrusted with the organisation and economic management, on an exclusive basis, of natural-gas markets and associated services in Italy. GME’s gas markets are the Gas Spot Market (MP-GAS), including the day-ahead market (MGP-GAS), intraday market (MI-GAS), locational products market (MPL), the regulated market for the trading of stored gas (MGS), and the forward gas market (MT-GAS). Moreover, GME organises and manages a platform for the allocation of regasification capacity (PAR).

Environmental Markets

GME is also directly involved in the implementation of environmental policies in Italy, by organising and managing environmental markets, such as the energy efficiency certificates market, the Guarantees of Origin (GO) market and the certificates of release to consumption of biofuels market (CIC).

Fuel Markets

GME manages the Italian market platform for the trading of mineral oil logistics services, as well as collecting mineral oil storage capacity data. In addition, GME set up, organise and operate a platform for wholesale trading of liquid oil products for the transport sector.