EPEX SPOT market data: what is free and what is not
EPEX SPOT runs day-ahead and intraday electricity markets for much of Western Europe. Its day-ahead prices are easy to get for free; its intraday data mostly is not. Knowing which is which saves a sales call.
Written for analysts and developers who need exchange prices in their own tools. Last reviewed September 2026.
EPEX SPOT is a power exchange based in Paris and part of the EEX Group. It operates day-ahead auctions and continuous intraday trading in a number of European markets, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain.
Its day-ahead auction for EU bidding zones is not a separate market: it is part of the single European day-ahead coupling (SDAC), which all exchanges run together. That is why the price for, say, Germany is the same no matter which exchange you read it from.
Day-ahead prices: the same numbers for free
The coupled day-ahead auction produces one price per bidding zone and time period. Those zonal prices are published on the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, free of charge, for every coupled zone.
Two exceptions. Switzerland and Great Britain are not part of the EU day-ahead coupling, so their day-ahead auctions are run separately and their prices are not the SDAC zonal prices. Check which auction a GB or Swiss number comes from before you compare it with the continent.
What EPEX publishes and what it sells
Data
Free
Paid
Day-ahead auction prices
Current results on the EPEX website; full history via ENTSO-E
Historical files and delivery feeds from the exchange
Day-ahead volumes and curves
Headline volumes on the website
Aggregated bid and offer curves
Intraday continuous prices
Selected indices and summaries on the website
Trade-level data and indices such as ID3
API access
None for the exchange’s own data
Data subscriptions from the EEX Group
In short: if you need day-ahead prices, you do not need an EPEX subscription. If you need intraday trades, order-book depth or the official intraday indices, you do — there is no complete free substitute, because continuous intraday trading is not published on the Transparency Platform.
Using EPEX prices correctly
Time resolution. The European day-ahead market trades 15-minute products; many tools still expect hourly data. Average the quarter hours rather than taking the first one.
Time zone. Exchange results are published in CET/CEST, the Transparency Platform lets you choose, and APIs often return UTC. Pick one and convert everything to it.
Negative prices are real. Hours with strong solar and wind regularly clear below zero; do not filter them out as errors.
For the Nordic and Baltic zones, where Nord Pool is the dominant exchange, see Nord Pool day-ahead prices.
Frequently asked questions
Is EPEX SPOT data free?
Partly. Current day-ahead results are shown on the EPEX website, and the day-ahead zonal prices are free on the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform. Historical files, intraday trade data and API access from the exchange itself are paid.
Does EPEX SPOT have a public API?
Not a free one. Programmatic access to the exchange’s data is sold as a data subscription. For day-ahead prices the free ENTSO-E API returns the same zonal prices.
Are EPEX and Nord Pool day-ahead prices different?
Not for EU bidding zones: both exchanges take part in the same coupled auction, so a zone has one day-ahead price regardless of the exchange.
Where can I get EPEX intraday prices?
Summaries are on the EPEX website; trade-level data and official indices such as ID3 are part of the paid data services. There is no complete free source.
We connect exchange and ENTSO-E data to dashboards, models and trading tools, with the time zone and resolution traps handled. If that is what you need, talk to us.