Fundamentals of Electricity Markets: A Pathway for South Africa's Electricity Market

South Africa's electricity sector is on the cusp of a historic shift from a vertically integrated, single-buyer model to a competitive wholesale market (SAWEM). Join Energy Exemplar's Guillermo Areosa Bäuml (Director, Solutions) and Krasimir Kerliev (Team Lead, Trading Solutions) for a practical, in-depth look at what that transition will mean for generators, traders, and consumers alike.

Drawing on Europe's 25-year liberalization journey, this session will unpack:

• How wholesale markets actually work – from forward and day-ahead markets to intraday and balancing, including merit-order pricing and the mechanics of market clearing (using Europe's EUPHEMIA algorithm as a real-world example)

• Why volatility is a feature, not a bug – as renewables reshape the generation mix under IRP 2025, price swings and negative pricing events become signals that drive investment in flexibility, storage, and demand response

• How participants hedge that volatility – a walkthrough of forwards, futures, options, and PPAs and a step-by-step example of building a hedge book
  
  
• Why forecasting and modelling become essential as markets mature, with a live demonstration of PLEXOS Pulse, an AI-powered market analysis tool, applied to South Africa's own market fundamentals

Whether you're a generator, trader, risk manager, or policy stakeholder, this webinar offers a grounded framework for understanding where SAWEM is headed and how to prepare for it.