Market agents
A market agent is considered to be any individual or legal entity that participates in economic transactions that take place on the electric power market by buying or selling electricity:
- Producers of electric power.
- Retailers.
- Direct consumers on the market.
- Representatives
In order to exercise the right to buy and sell power on the market, agents must adhere to the Electrical Production Market Activity Rules, in addition to complying with other requirements that will be explained further on.
How to become an agent
In order to operate on the market managed by OMIE, it is first necessary to register as a market agent. Acquiring the title of market agent involves meeting previously established requirements and following an electronic procedure through which information required for gaining the title is submitted to OMIE.
The following steps must be taken:
1. Register as a market agent, which must be done through Spain’s National Grid Operator (www.ree.es).
2. Complete the first form available at the link, “Agent Registration”. Before beginning to work on this form, please read the Access Guide, which is available through the “Access Guide” link. We strongly suggest that you read this information carefully.
3. Once the application for Agent Registration is complete, please send OMIE the powers of attorney for the company that is going to sign the Standard Form Contract on the Rules of Operation for the day-ahead and intraday markets, a photocopy of the company’s tax number, and a photocopy of your ID.
4. When you receive the digital certificate requested with the first form in the access guide, please complete all other pertinent forms in the electronic Access Guide.
OMIE Assistance Portal offers a simple service to Market Agents and other users without the condition of Agents, providing information associated with the operation and procedures that may be required in the Electricity Market.
You can consult more information and refer any unresolved doubts via the following link:
The trading systems that OMIE makes available to all agents are made up of web platforms designed to offer a user experience that is simple, efficient, trustworthy, and flexible to adapt to the needs and specifics of companies that participate in the market.
Our web platforms incorporate every functionality needed for the agents to participate and operate on the markets 24 hours a day, as there is a platform for the Day-Ahead Market and the Intraday Auction Markets and another platform for the Intraday Continuous Market.
Access to the platforms is made possible using traditional web browsers, and we incorporate the technology needed for automating processes and user personalization with third-party applications.
These digital negotiation platforms are characterized by their reliability and robustness, as they have the most advanced, cutting edge mechanisms commonly available.
We guarantee the system works properly by incorporating redundancy in all of the systems, communications, and software used, while simultaneously training capacities for prevention, detection, mitigation, and recovery when faced with any incidences.
OMIE has a firm, ongoing commitment to cybersecurity. As such, we are continually working on improving our prevention and response capacities in the event of any attacks or incidents by actively working with main public and private actors in the field of cybersecurity.
We protect our information systems with the primary technological controls provided by the leading cybersecurity solutions on the market.
As a result, our negotiation platforms not only meet current legislation regarding cybersecurity, confidentiality, and data protection, but they also aim to contribute value, transparency, security, and confidence to the sector.
Access to the negotiation platforms available on OMIE's information systems is designed to guarantee the availability and functionality of those systems, as well as neutrality, transparency, and equal opportunities for all participants.
Agents can choose the form of communication that is best suited to their needs, as they have at their disposal alternate means to protect themselves in the event of failures in the communications network and to ensure access and participation in the market.
This way, OMIE is available to agents in order to work together on all tests considered to be opportune in order to test out alternate modes of access.
OMIE allows communication with its systems on behalf of agents by Internet or dedicated lines.
- Internet connection
Internet access is possible through any telecommunications provider. The access point is the same for all connections, regardless of the provider and the technology used by the agent.
Our systems are designed to adapt to any technology for an Internet connection that agents may use, as they may be fiber-optic corporate networks, ADSL lines, or work stations with a 4G/5G connection.
- Connection through a dedicated line
We offer agents the possibility of setting up dedicated lines from their systems to OMIE's data centers in order to establish a connection and operate on the market. In this process, OMIE actively works with agents and communications providers so that circuit setup and operation meet the expected standards of quality.
OMIE's trading platforms are designed to facilitate access to the market, so we have tried to prevent at all costs agents needing to use specific products or loading special programs.
Market access is always done securely, which requires a digital certificate and a couple of cryptographic keys linked to the name of a holder associated with the agent. OMIE issues these certificates both physically and digitally.
Negotiation on OMIE's platforms may be done in one of two main ways, both of which are under identical security measures, hereby guaranteeing at all times confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information through all accesses:
- Browser Access
Access through a browser to the SIOM (the market operator's information system) requires a PC with Microsoft Edge and an up-to-date version of Microsoft Windows.
- App Access
For negotiation on the Day-Ahead Market and Intraday Auctions, access is made possible through Web Services with a specific app that the agent can install in their environment. In addition, OMIE provides a Client Module for assistance that enables connection by means of this technology and that can serve as a basis for the agent's own development.
For negotiation on the Intraday Continuous Market, OMIE provides a client app (Trading Module) to operate on the Negotiation Platform (LTS). Likewise, agents are provided with a Client Module for assistance that uses the PMI interface to operate on the Negotiation Platform.
In order to provide access to trading platforms, OMIE provides an automatic installer that configures the agent's post, minimizing the manual actions that must be taken.
For more information on setup requirements and details, check out our "Setup Guide for Access to OMIE's Information Systems" here, available in the section on Technical Documentation on the website.