The day-ahead market segment on the Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange (IBEX) is marking its 10th anniversary, celebrating a decade since the launch of the first organized electricity market in Bulgaria. This segment laid the foundations for transparent, market-based and publicly traceable electricity trading, becoming a cornerstone of the country’s power market architecture.
Speaking on the occasion, IBEX CEO Dian Boev highlighted that over the past ten years, the day-ahead market has established itself as a key platform for reliable price signals and a guarantor of market liquidity. He emphasized that IBEX has consistently upgraded its rules, products and trading infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of market participants and to keep pace with changing market dynamics.
The strong growth of the segment is reflected in both participation and traded volumes. The number of active market participants has increased to 150, compared to just 21 at the beginning of January 2016. At the same time, traded volumes expanded significantly, from 4,369.2 MWh for delivery on 20 January 2016 to 104,294.85 MWh for delivery on 20 January 2026, representing a 24-fold increase.
Over the 2016–2025 period, the total traded volume on the day-ahead market reached 175.6 TWh, accounting for around two thirds of all power exchange trading on IBEX. This performance underlines the central role of the day-ahead segment in Bulgaria’s electricity market and reflects the collective efforts of market participants alongside IBEX’s commitment to transparent, competitive and predictable trading.