NDRC releases draft national electricity spot-market rules for public comment
Published · Updated
What happened
The National Development and Reform Commission issued a draft rule for public comment that standardizes the electricity spot market's operating structure and participation rules at the national level. The draft specifies a three-tier market architecture and extends full market entry requirements to newer resource types such as storage and virtual power plants.
Why it matters
The draft provides a national template for how short-term power trading and dispatch should work across provinces, which can alter revenue models for generators, storage operators and aggregators. It also creates a nearer-term implementation question for grid operators and provincial regulators on settlement, access standards and coordination with existing pilot markets.
China's National Development and Reform Commission on November 2 released the 'Basic Rules for the Electricity Spot Market (Draft for Public Comment),' setting out a national framework for spot-market operation. The draft formally defines a three-tier system spanning national, provincial and sub-provincial levels, and states that new market participants including energy storage and virtual power plants should enter the spot market in full. The move turns a previously pilot-heavy reform track into a clearer national rulemaking step for dispatch, pricing and participation.
Watch for
National Development and Reform Commission publication of the public-comment submission channel, consultation deadline, or accompanying Q&A on the electricity spot-market draft by 2026-11-08 National Energy Administration acknowledgement or interpretive notice on storage and virtual power plant market-entry requirements by 2026-11-08 State Grid Corporation of China or China Southern Power Grid release of implementation guidance on spot-market settlement, dispatch, or IT interfaces by 2026-11-08 Provincial development and reform commissions in Guangdong, Shanxi, or Shandong issuing local comment notices or rule-alignment statements by 2026-11-08
Sources
- 新能源配储全面迎现货“大考” · paper.people.com.cn
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