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Energy Trading meaning

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What does Energy Trading mean?
Energy trading describes the purchase and sale of electricity and gas (and related products) in wholesale markets to manage price and volume risk, secure supply and optimise generation or consumption, including responding to price movements. The term is descriptive rather than a defined legal term, and is used across power and gas, physical and financial markets. Key legal features include: - Physical and financial trades (spot, forwards, futures, options and swaps), often documented under EFET, ISDA and power purchase agreements. - Exchange and OTC execution, clearing and collateral, and balancing and settlement obligations. - Regulatory perimeter issues (authorisation/exemptions) under MiFID II/MiFIR (EU/Ireland) or the UK MiFID regime, and trade reporting/clearing under EMIR or UK EMIR. - Market integrity and transparency duties under REMIT (EU) or UK REMIT, including inside information disclosure and prohibitions on market manipulation. Usage is broadly consistent across the UK and Ireland. In Great Britain (England & Wales and Scotland), Ofgem and the FCA oversee relevant energy and financial regulation. In Northern Ireland and Ireland, electricity trading occurs within the all‑island Single Electricity Market (SEM/I‑SEM), overseen by the SEM Committee, the Utility Regulator (NI) and the CRU (Ireland), with EU regimes applying in Ireland and UK/EU regimes applying as...
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View the related Checklists about Energy Trading

CHECKLISTS
Power purchase agreements with licensed suppliers: a practitioners’ checklist on term, pricing, volumes, renewable/embedded benefits, exclusivity, commissioning, metering, termination, guarantees and assignment

Power purchase agreements (PPAs), and the consequent checklist considerations, will differ according to several elements, such as the generation technology adopted and, notably, whether any feedstock or fuel is necessary to run the finished plant. The nature of the deal—be it a short-term trading arrangement or a longer-term contract required to support financing—will likewise be influential. This Checklist proceeds on the basis of a ‘conventional’ PPA with a licensed supplier as the counterparty. Other forms exist, including corporate PPAs where the buyer is an end user, potentially linked to the plant by a private wire. For additional detail on corporate PPAs, see Practice Note: Corporate Power Purchase Agreements—an introduction to structuring power purchase arrangements between large energy users and remotely located generators. What is/check the duration of the agreement? Where a PPA is needed to underpin external financing for a new generating asset, the PPA term should, as far as practicable, ideally align with the tenor of any loans advanced to fund the scheme and the associated project...

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CHECKLISTS
War-related force majeure in energy contracts: English law checklist on triggers, thresholds, causation, mitigation, notices, frustration and termination consequences, and drafting for future risk

Checklist Intensifying geopolitical conflict — including open hostilities, regional volatility, cyber interference and closure of sea lanes — can exert rapid, multifaceted strain on energy-sector contracts. This checklist offers a structured, practical approach to evaluating force majeure (FM) risk in an active conflict or war setting, and to judging whether FM can be effectively invoked under English law. It also maps how that assessment intersects with frustration and contractual termination rights, and sets out drafting considerations for parties to weigh in future transactions so that FM provisions expressly address war risks. It is intended for legal and commercial teams operating across oil and gas, LNG, trading, infrastructure and energy supply chains, where disruption frequently stems from direct physical impossibility at the point of delivery, or indirectly via upstream or downstream domino effects. The objective is not solely to test the viability of an FM claim, but also to enable informed, risk-aware choices in rapidly evolving conflict environments. This checklist focuses on FM arising from war-related physical and operational disruption....

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NEWS
UK and EU environmental law weekly: consultations, policy and case updates across climate, hydrogen, buildings, enforcement, nuclear, ESG, chemicals (PFAS), biodiversity, waste and water—9 October 2025

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Contamination and pollution Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental information Environmental taxes, reliefs and incentives ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Air emissions and climate change Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR)-UK government publishes Business Model documentation On 27 August 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) released a suite of papers on its proposed Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR) Business Model and accompanying policy. The Lexis+ Energy team, working with Navraj Singh Ghaleigh, Senior Lecturer in Climate Law at the University of Edinburgh Law School, set out the context for the GGR Business Model; its relationship with the Power BECCS Business Model; the technologies the GGR framework intends to encompass; its legal footing and principal features; and how...

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NEWS
UK and EU environmental law weekly update: emissions trading, energy and nuclear, ESG reporting, UK REACH, waste and producer responsibility, biodiversity, marine, water and litigation—26 February 2026

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental permits and consents Environmental taxes, reliefs and incentives ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Air emissions and climate change DESNZ releases quarterly waste data reporting template for the UK ETS. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has issued a template for quarterly waste data submissions under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). It is designed for waste operators to use when sending quarterly data reports to their regulator during the voluntary monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) period. See: LNB News 19/02/2026 50. AFME responds to European Commission consultation on climate resilience legislative framework. The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) has provided...

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NEWS
EU law weekly briefing: key consultations, rulings and policy updates on competition, GDPR, CSRD/ESRS, Taxonomy, climate targets, AI Act, financial services, sanctions and trade defence — 13 November 2025

In this issue: Commercial Competition Corporate Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Commercial Commission consults on evaluation of market surveillance regulation The European Commission has launched a consultation to assess and, if needed, update the Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. It aims to strengthen the operation of the single market by boosting compliance with EU product harmonisation rules, with any amendments scheduled for Commission adoption in Q3 2026. The consultation closes on 4 February 2026. See: LNB News 12/11/2025 22. Commission consults on New Legislative Framework revision The Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW H4) has opened a consultation to underpin the revamp of the New Legislative Framework (NLF) governing product law, seeking to capture stakeholder views on...

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View the related Practice Notes about Energy Trading

PRACTICE NOTES
2022 appeal round-up and tracker: key civil litigation decisions and forthcoming Supreme Court cases (England and Wales)

Practice Note This Practice Note consists of two strands created to help dispute resolution practitioners remain up to date with developments in case law that affect their field, or which influence civil litigation procedure more generally: selected forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court are highlighted below; see Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 summaries of significant appeal decisions in England and Wales (ie rulings of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and, where appropriate, certain judgments of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Court of Justice of the European Union), and ECtHR, which we have covered; see: Key forthcoming appeal cases—2022 You can navigate this content using the table of contents in the left-hand margin. Alternatively, search this tracker using [CTRL]+[F]. This material is not intended to be a comprehensive register of every appeal or major decision relevant to dispute resolution practitioners. Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 Tort and negligence ...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Drafting and negotiating UK PPAs: pricing, renewable benefits, forecasting, change in law, credit support, force majeure, extensions and project finance requirements

What is a power purchase agreement? A power purchase agreement (PPA) is a contract between an electricity producer (generator) and the buyer of that electricity (offtaker) that sets out the commercial terms governing the sale and purchase of power from a generation project. For our comprehensive suite of resources and precedents on power purchase, see: Power purchase agreements and routes to market—overview. A PPA offers a route to market for electricity produced by the generator and, for renewable generating stations, any green benefits the generator receives for producing electricity from renewable sources, which may be sold on to electricity suppliers. It is the agreement under which a significant share (if not all) of a project’s revenues are earned and, as a result, the PPA supports the economics of most power projects. Most PPAs include provisions addressing the following matters: commencement and term sale of power sale and transfer of any green benefits (for projects generating electricity from renewable sources) credit for embedded benefits...

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PRACTICE NOTES
EU REMIT post-2024: scope, inside information, market manipulation, disclosure, reporting, algorithmic trading, LNG obligations, ACER powers and penalties

What is EU REMIT? Regulation (EU) 1227/2011, known as EU REMIT, sets the rules safeguarding integrity and transparency across wholesale energy markets. It bans insider dealing and market manipulation concerning wholesale energy products. Aims EU REMIT’s core purpose is to rebuild customer trust that wholesale energy products are fairly priced. Recital (1) underscores the need for consumers and other participants to trust the electricity and gas markets, for wholesale prices to mirror a fair, competitive balance of supply and demand, and to prevent any gain from market abuse. Guidance The European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) issues detailed, practical guidance on EU REMIT. ACER also produces and routinely refreshes a Q&A, summarising common queries on EU REMIT together with ACER’s replies. This Q&A serves as guidance for EU REMIT stakeholders and is not a binding legal interpretation of the Regulation. Oversight and enforcement Compliance covers the bans on insider trading and market manipulation, together with duties to publish inside information,...

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View the related Precedents about Energy Trading

PRECEDENTS
Precedent private wire power purchase agreement (PPA) under Electricity Act 1989 licence exemption (English law)

This Agreement is entered into on [ date ] Parties [ name of the Company ] [ of [ address ] OR incorporated in England and Wales under Company registration number [ number ], whose registered office is at [ address ] ] (Purchaser) [ name of the Company ] [ of [ address ] OR incorporated in England and Wales under Company registration number [ number ], whose registered office is at [ address ] ] (Generator) Background The Generator owns and operates the Facility. The Purchaser intends to purchase, and the Generator intends to sell, the electricity to be produced by the Facility in line with the terms of this Agreement...

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