ACER greenlights 30-minute intraday electricity gate closure time across EU borders
What is it about?
On 2 July 2025, ACER received a proposal from the EU transmission system operators (TSOs) to amend the methodology for intraday cross-zonal gate opening and closure time.
What is the methodology about?
Established under the Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management (CACM) Regulation, the methodology sets harmonised rules across EU Member States for when electricity trading can begin (gate opening time) and end (gate closure time) in the intraday market. The intraday market is a short-term market where electricity is bought and sold on the same day as delivery after the day-ahead market has closed.
The TSOs proposed shortening the gate closure time from the current 60 to 30 minutes before delivery, while keeping the gate opening time unchanged.
Shortening the gate closure time is expected to:
- allow market participants to trade closer to real time, giving them more time to respond to last-minute changes in demand and supply;
- support the integration of renewable energy sources and flexibility solutions; and
- help TSOs keep the system balanced and the supply secure.
This amendment aims to align the methodology with the requirements of the Electricity Market Design Reform (2024), which seeks to improve the efficiency of short-term markets.
What did ACER decide?
On 19 December 2025, ACER approved the TSOs proposal, adding several clarifications and adjustments, including:
- Derogations and the 30-minute gate closure time: If a TSO receives a derogation, the 30-minute gate closure time cannot be applied on that bidding-zone border until the derogation ends. The TSO on the opposite side of the border does not need its own derogation; it simply continues applying the 60-minute gate closure time. Once all derogations on that border expire, all involved TSOs must switch to the 30-minute standard without delay.
- Borders with Energy Community Contracting Parties: As the Electricity Market Design Reform has not yet been fully adopted by the Energy Community Ministerial Council, it is not part of national laws in thee Energy Community countries. Until adoption, applying the 30-minute gate closure time on these borders is optional, while the 60-minute remains the mandatory standard.
What are the next steps?
From 1 January 2026, the first TSOs will start implementing the 30-minutes gate closure time, with full rollout subject to national regulatory decisions.