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European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators

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European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators

Trg republike 3 building (right) in Ljubljana, seat of ACER since 2011
Agency overview
Formed3 September 2009 (2009-09-03)
JurisdictionEuropean Union
HeadquartersLjubljana, Slovenia
Employees191 (2024)[1]
Agency executive
Key document
Websitewww.acer.europa.eu/
Map
European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators is located in European Union
Ljubljana
Ljubljana
European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (European Union)

The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) is an Agency of the European Union created under the terms of the Third Energy Package of 2009.[2] It was established in 2010 and has its seat in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[3]

The basis for the establishment of ACER is Regulation 713/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 July 2009. The regulation describes the establishment and the legal status, tasks, organisation and financial provisions.[4] The Agency's mandate was updated in 2019 by Regulation (EU) 2019/942.[5]

ACER is the second intergovernmental organization headquartered in Slovenia. The first was the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE).

Tasks

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The Agency's roles include:

Capacity calculation regions

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In July 2015, Regulation (EU) 2015/1222 established the guideline on capacity allocation and congestion management.[7] From 17 November 2015, all European transmission system operators submitted a proposal for capacity calculation regions.[8] Bidding zone borders within and between EU Member States are grouped into eight capacity calculation regions:

  • Capacity Calculation Region 1: Nordic
  • Capacity Calculation Region 2: Hansa
  • Capacity Calculation Region 3: Core
  • Capacity Calculation Region 4: Italy North
  • Capacity Calculation Region 5: Greece-Italy
  • Capacity Calculation Region 6: South-west Europe (SWE)
  • Capacity Calculation Region 7: Baltic
  • Capacity Calculation Region 8: South-east Europe (SEE)

Market transparency and price regulation

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Market Correction Mechanism

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Main article: EU natural gas price cap

The Market Correction Mechanism (MCM) was introduced by the EU in 2022 in response to exceptionally high gas prices in 2022. It aim was to limit extreme gas price spikes on the Title Transfer Facility (TTF), the main European gas benchmark.[9] ACER was responsible for monitoring the market and triggering the mechanism if certain conditions were met, including a price ceiling of €180/MWh being exceeded for a sustained period.[10] The mechanism was designed to safeguard security of supply while preventing market manipulation and excessive volatility amid the Russia-European Union gas dispute and the global energy crisis.[11] The Agency was required to publish the MCM reference price starting from 1 February 2023 until 31 January 2025. The MCM mechanism was never activated.[12]

LNG Price Assessment and Benchmark

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ACER LNG Price Assessment

In 2023, ACER launched the LNG Price Assessment and Benchmark as part of efforts to improve price transparency in the liquefied natural gas market.[13][14] The main aim is to provide a reliable and representative reference for LNG prices in the EU, supporting better market functioning and reducing the bloc’s dependence on volatile external benchmarks. The LNG benchmark is based on validated transactional data submitted by market participants under REMIT obligations.[15]

REMIT Data Reference Centre

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In response to the 2024 revision of the REMIT Regulation, ACER established the REMIT Data Reference Centre, inaugurated in May 2025. This centralised hub consolidates wholesale energy market data submitted under REMIT across the European Union.[16][17] The available datasets include:

  • Electricity markets datasets
  • Natural gas markets datasets
  • LNG markets dataset
  • Market participants dataset

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Single programming document 2025-2027" (PDF). ACER: 86. December 2024.
  2. ^ "Energy: Energising Europe – a real market with secure supply (Third legislative package) - European commission". Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  3. ^ "Energy: Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) - European commission". Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  4. ^ Regulation (EC) No 713/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing an Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators
  5. ^ Regulation (EU) 2019/942 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 establishing a European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (recast)
  6. ^ ACER (11 May 2021). Guidance on the application of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency — 5th edition (PDF) (5th ed.). Ljubljana, Slovenia: Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ Article 15(1) of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1222 of 24 July 2015
  8. ^ ACER Decision on the determination of capacity calculation regions: Annex I Determination of capacity calculation regions in accordance with Article 15(1) of Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1222 of 24 July 2015 establishing a guideline on capacity allocation and congestion management
  9. ^ "Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2578 of 22 December 2022 establishing a market correction mechanism to protect Union citizens and the economy against excessively high prices". Regulation (EU) 2022/2578.
  10. ^ "Market correction mechanism to protect EU citizens and the economy against excessively high gas prices". Regulation (EU) 2022/2578.
  11. ^ Hancock, Alice (19 December 2022). "EU energy ministers reach deal on gas price cap". Financial Times.
  12. ^ "Market Correction Mechanism". ACER.
  13. ^ "EU's ACER publishes first NWE LNG price assessment at 56.77 euros/mwh". Reuters. 19 January 2023.
  14. ^ Asgari, Nikou; Sheppard, David; Hancock, Alice (31 October 2022). "Task to build new EU gas benchmark will be 'demanding', admits regulator". Financial Times.
  15. ^ "LNG Price Assessment/Benchmark". ACER.
  16. ^ Hall, Siobhan (15 May 2025). "ACER opens up REMIT energy trading data for analysis". Montel News.
  17. ^ "EU energy market data centralised and more accessible with ACER's new REMIT tools". ACER. 15 May 2025.
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