On 26 August 2026, the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine (SEAU) held an open meeting of the SEAU Electricity Market Operations Committee together with SEAU’s expert partner, JSC “Market Operator”.
The meeting focused on the designation of JSC “Market Operator” as a Nominated Electricity Market Operator (NEMO) and Ukraine’s next steps towards integration with European energy markets.
The meeting was moderated by Volodymyr Yevdokimov, Chair of the SEAU Electricity Market Operations Committee, with Oleksandr Havva, CEO of JSC “Market Operator”, as the speaker.
On 18 August, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) designated JSC “Market Operator” as a Nominated Electricity Market Operator for a four-year term. This decision represents an important step towards the future coupling of Ukraine’s Day-Ahead Market (DAM) and Intraday Market (IDM) with the corresponding segments of European markets under the market coupling mechanism.
Opening the meeting, Volodymyr Yevdokimov emphasized the strategic importance of the decision and the need to prepare not only market operators but also all other market participants for the upcoming changes:
“This is indeed a very important step for Ukraine towards coupling the Ukrainian Day-Ahead Market with the corresponding segments of European markets. I believe that, first and foremost, this mechanism will increase market liquidity and bring us closer to integration into a single European energy market.”
During the meeting, Oleksandr Havva explained the principles of market coupling, the roles of different participants in the process, and the roadmap for integrating the Ukrainian market:
“Market coupling is a mechanism for integrating electricity spot markets that enables more efficient use of cross-border transmission capacity to optimize electricity trading. In the European model, this mechanism covers two main segments – Single Day-Ahead Coupling (SDAC) and Single Intraday Coupling (SIDC).”
The speaker paid particular attention to the principle of implicit allocation of transmission capacity and electricity. Unlike the current model, in which electricity trading and access to cross-border interconnection capacity are separate processes, under market coupling they take place within a single algorithm. The algorithm automatically determines optimal cross-border flows and prices between bidding zones.
“From a business-process perspective, market coupling does not involve a radical change in trading for market participants: if you are a participant in the DAM and IDM, you will continue to submit bids to the platform in the same way. At the same time, once the markets are coupled, additional liquidity may become available on the platform – electricity exports or imports depending on market conditions, available cross-border capacity, and the results of the algorithm,” Mr. Havva explained.
Under the new mechanism, the Nominated Electricity Market Operator will perform a number of key functions, including ensuring Ukraine’s participation in market coupling, collecting bids from market participants, verifying calculation results, providing information on trading results, and acting as a central counterparty for clearing and settlement.
At the same time, as the expert noted, the NEMO is only one element of the future system. Transmission system operators (TSOs) and regional coordination centers will also play an important role, being responsible for calculating cross-zonal capacity, operational security, and coordinating the operation of the power systems of countries in the region.
A separate part of the discussion focused on the practical timeline for launching market coupling. According to Mr. Havva, Ukraine’s full integration requires a complex process of aligning Ukrainian legislation with European requirements, as well as preparing and approving a substantial body of secondary legislation.
According to his assessment, the first go-live for the Day-Ahead Market could potentially take place in January 2029, although this timeline is not final and may change depending on the pace of preparing the regulatory framework and its approval by the Energy Community and the European Commission. Intraday market coupling, according to the estimate presented, could take place at a later stage, following the launch of SDAC.
At the same time, participants highlighted the scale of work that remains to be completed. According to the speaker, the action plan approved by NEURC contains at least 70 key items and around 400 issues, including sub-items, that will require consideration and corresponding amendments to regulatory documents.
Importantly, market representatives can contribute to this process. Oleksandr Havva reported on the advisory body and working groups established under the regulator to prepare the necessary documents and invited interested market participants to join this work.
During the discussion, participants also addressed the mutual recognition of licenses, the future activities of electricity exporters and importers, the prospects for introducing negative electricity prices, and the specifics of market operation following integration.
A separate block of questions focused on energy storage facilities and the potential use of BESS for arbitrage on the Day-Ahead Market. Oleksandr Havva noted that the Market Operator is already working on new bid types that could be useful for energy storage facilities, while changes to bidding formats are also being developed at the European level to better account for the specific operating characteristics of storage systems.
At the same time, the speaker emphasized that the future operating model for energy storage facilities will not be limited to a single market segment. An optimal strategy should take into account liquidity in the Day-Ahead Market, Intraday Market, and Balancing Market, depending on the season, time of day, and other market factors.
Summing up the meeting, Volodymyr Yevdokimov emphasized the importance of continued professional dialogue and active participation by market participants in preparing for the upcoming changes.
Mr. Yevdokimov noted that the SEAU Electricity Market Operations Committee plans to remain actively involved in this process, organize further thematic meetings, and invite representatives of JSC “Market Operator” and other experts to participate.
The participants also agreed to continue the discussion on the operation of energy storage facilities. Oleksandr Havva proposed using the previously developed “White Papers” on energy storage facilities as a basis for the next dedicated meeting on storage participation and trading across different market segments.
The Solar Energy Association of Ukraine thanks speaker Oleksandr Havva and moderator Volodymyr Yevdokimov for an insightful discussion and open professional dialogue, and all participants for their active questions and engagement.