The history of the Leipzig electricity exchange
In June 2000, the Leipzig Power Exchange (LPX) began trading electricity; in August, the EEX followed in Frankfurt. In 2002, the two merged to form the European Energy Exchange AG, headquartered in Leipzig. In 2006, clearing operations were spun off into the European Commodity Clearing (ECC). In 2008, EPEX SPOT was established, based in Paris.
Leipzig remains the headquarters of the EEX. For current price monitoring, the distinction is crucial: The EEX electricity futures market trades future delivery periods; EPEX SPOT organizes short-term markets. Historical day-ahead data is available here via SMARD. The term "Leipzig electricity exchange" is therefore a good starting point, but not a precise indication of the data source. Sources: EEX Group: historical milestones and EEX: current electricity markets.
A price only gains meaning in relation to its time period.
A low electricity price on a sunny Sunday doesn't tell you what the cost of electricity is for your production on Monday morning. The chart helps you distinguish individual fluctuations from a longer-term trend.
Looking at several years
Monthly averages show the main movements. Select “Complete history” to see all available data; the market-area change in October 2018 remains visible.
Comparing the same months
Overlay two years on top of each other. This way, you can compare, for example, January with January. An incomplete month remains open instead of appearing as a completed result.
Look closely at the selected period.
Select a month and open the daily view. From there you can navigate to individual hours or quarter hours. Times can also be selected using the keyboard.
€100/MWh is equivalent to 10 ct/kWh. This is the market price for energy—not the total electricity price on your bill. A negative market price does not automatically mean a negative total bill.
Understanding the minimum, maximum and average
The extremes show the lowest and highest individual interval prices within your selection. A monthly curve instead shows averages and can visually smooth out brief peaks. If the same extreme price occurs more than once, the chart shows its first occurrence. The subtle average line exactly matches the time-weighted metric for the selected dataset, rather than the simple mean of monthly values.
Missing intervals are neither counted as a zero price nor as an available delivery time. Therefore, always check the data coverage. In year-on-year comparisons, the key figures refer to the available period of the respective year; a year that is still ongoing is not a complete comparison year.
Delivery time instead of time of trade
The time at a data point marks the start of delivery, not the time of the exchange transaction. All times use Europe/Berlin: CET (UTC+01:00) in winter and CEST (UTC+02:00) in summer. When clocks go back, the hour starting at 02:00 occurs twice. The date and UTC offset are needed to identify the interval unambiguously.
In the day-ahead dataset shown here, delivery intervals change from one hour to 15 minutes on 1 October 2025. From then on, a normal day has 96 intervals, the spring clock-change day has 92 and the autumn clock-change day has 100. The calculation takes their actual duration into account. SMARD explains the transition to quarter-hourly prices.
Why does the electricity price change?
The day-ahead market aggregates offers for the following day's electricity supply. This involves the interaction of anticipated demand, available generation, and trading between market areas. Wind and solar power, power plant availability, fuel and CO₂ costs, as well as grid and trading capacities all influence the situation.
In a coupled auction, a uniform market-clearing price is established for each delivery interval and market area. A significant change in one influencing factor can affect the price. However, a single curve does not reliably reveal which factor alone was decisive.
Why can electricity have a negative price?
If the offered volume exceeds the market's capacity to absorb electricity in the case of negative bids, the auction can clear below zero. For example, high feed-in and low demand coincide with power plants whose short-term shutdown incurs costs. Additional consumption, storage, or exports can alleviate the situation, provided they are available. SMARD explains the causes of negative electricity prices.
Your contract’s pricing formula is what matters. Under a fixed-price contract, a negative exchange price does not automatically result in a credit. A dynamic tariff can still include other cost components. Shifting consumption solely because a price is negative would be short-sighted: process safety, additional consumption and possible peak loads belong in the same calculation. Read how billing works under dynamic electricity tariffs for businesses.
On the interplay of generation and consumption: Wind and solar power in Germany and Understanding electricity consumption and residual load.
What time horizon suits your procurement needs?
The division of labor in the markets creates different opportunities for your business: securing prices in advance or consciously incorporating near-delivery developments into your procurement. The crucial factor is which quantities and price components your contract actually covers.
Spot market: short-term delivery
A spot-based delivery contract must specify which index is used for invoicing and which quantities. Day-ahead and intraday prices are not interchangeable. Also, check markups and the handling of negative prices.
Many years in the chart therefore mean: a long retrospective view of short-term traded delivery intervals.
Futures market: future delivery periods
Futures contracts refer to future delivery periods, such as an upcoming quarter or year. A yearly futures contract traded today is different from the average spot price of a previous year.
A futures contract can hedge against price risks; the specific product and delivery agreement determine how the hedging is implemented. A forward price is not a guarantee that the subsequent spot price will be the same. Prices for future delivery years are not shown here.
Our detailed comparison of spot market and futures market explains which procurement method brings which opportunities, obligations and risks.
Your consumption also plays a role.
A bakery often needs energy for production even at night. A hotel must provide hot water, cooling, and base load even when occupancy is low. A chain of stores has different opening hours and delivery points. The same electricity exchange price trend can therefore lead to different procurement costs.
For an economic assessment, what matters is how much electricity you purchase in each interval. An exchange average weights prices by time; your own procurement price must also account for the volumes consumed and the contract’s specific billing rules.
Two intervals of equal length have prices of 50 and 150 €/MWh. The time average is 100 €/MWh. If you take 80 % of your energy in the cheaper interval and 20 % in the more expensive one, the volume-weighted energy price is 70 €/MWh. With the consumption pattern reversed, it is 130 €/MWh, in both cases before other price components.
A fixed price can make the agreed price components predictable. The crucial factor, however, remains which components are actually fixed and what quantity or adjustment rules apply. Spot and hybrid models offer different possibilities and transfer different risks. Therefore, the right decision begins with your business, your budget planning, and your risk tolerance.
For businesses with early production times: Energy procurement for bakeries and branches. In more detail: What your load profile tells you about your business, Energy procurement for hotels and hotel chains and Comparing procurement models in an understandable way.
What we check for a reliable assessment
When do you need energy?
Annual quantities, existing load profiles, operating hours, locations and planned changes all belong together.
What was actually agreed upon?
The contract duration, price components, notice periods, quantity limits and billing must be suitable for the decision.
How much certainty do you need?
We develop the procurement process individually: with the highest possible planning certainty or a deliberately defined margin for market risks.
Once all the necessary documents are available, we can assess your situation in detail and clearly compare the available options. You will receive a clear basis for your decision: which price components are fixed, which risks remain, and where contractual limitations apply. Those who require a high degree of planning certainty will receive a proposal tailored to that. We only incorporate flexibility where it is appropriate for your business and the agreed-upon risk framework.
Frequently asked questions about the Leipzig electricity exchange
Is the German spot price set in Leipzig or Paris?
The respective company headquarters does not determine the price. For day-ahead, prices are determined per delivery interval and bidding zone in the coupled European auction process based on bids and available exchange capacities. EEX in Leipzig and EPEX SPOT in Paris fulfill different market functions. The allocation of exchanges, clearing, and data sources is described at the beginning of this article.
Can I see the current electricity exchange price here?
You are viewing a saved historical data set up to the last completed delivery day. The chart is not a real-time ticker and does not include current intraday trades. The day-ahead prices of the last few days are shown in our spot market chart.
What does the average line mean?
It represents the time-weighted metric for the current selection. A separate reference line is provided for each year. Data gaps are not factored in as zero; the coverage is shown above the chart.
Are the displayed values EEX futures market prices?
No. The data comes from SMARD and shows historical day-ahead wholesale prices. EEX futures products for future delivery periods are a different view of the market.
Can I calculate my electricity tariff directly from this?
The displayed prices alone are not enough for a reliable tariff calculation. It also requires your consumption over time, the contract’s specific pricing formula and all additional price components.
Why are some values or monthly lines missing?
The display uses available source data. Missing intervals remain empty. Yearly comparisons only show months with full data. This prevents a partial month from appearing as a complete comparison value.
Why is there a change in 2018?
Until the end of September 2018, the common market area covered Germany/Austria/Luxembourg. Since October 2018, this chart covers Germany/Luxembourg. The series are joined transparently and are not presented as an unchanged market area.
How does the price trend relate to your electricity consumption?
We combine market trends, contract terms, and your operational needs to develop a suitable procurement strategy. Describe your current situation to us—we'll discuss which documents are required for the review.
Discuss energy procurement
