Cross-border electricity flows across South-East Europe increased significantly during calendar week 13, reflecting growing interdependence among regional markets and shifting supply-demand dynamics.
Total net imports rose by 27.91%, with several markets increasing their reliance on external supply. Hungary recorded a 40.86% increase in net imports, while Croatia rose by 33.66%, indicating tighter domestic supply conditions.
Italy remained the largest importing market by a considerable margin, reinforcing its structural deficit and central role in regional price formation. Despite increased renewable output, Italy continues to rely heavily on imports to meet demand.
On the export side, several markets reduced their net export positions. Greece saw exports decline by 25.05%, Romania by 67.27%, and Bulgaria by 34.47%, reflecting tighter domestic balances and increased internal demand.
Türkiye also reduced its export position by 18.51%, as rising domestic consumption limited available surplus.
Serbia stood out with a significant reduction in net imports of 76.93%, moving closer to a balanced position. This shift reflects improved domestic generation, particularly from renewable and hydro sources.
The increase in cross-border flows highlights the importance of interconnections in balancing the SEE system. However, congestion on key transmission corridors continues to limit the efficiency of these flows, contributing to price divergence between markets.
From a trading perspective, the intensification of cross-border flows creates opportunities for arbitrage, but also introduces additional complexity related to transmission constraints and capacity allocation.
