Europe's EEX bourse says will build on 2016 trading gains this year

Trading volumes of electricity, gas and carbon forwards on European energy bourse EEX surged in 2016 and the exchange said it will keep up the momentum this year.
The Leipzig-based exchange, which is part of Deutsche Boerse group, cited new products and acquisitions as drivers of growth, which helped it win more market share from wider over-the-counter markets.
"In 2017, we will continue to work on increasing market shares in our core markets and boosting liquidity in our new areas of activity," Chief Executive Peter Reitz said.
The trading volume of its power contracts totalled 4,456 terawatt hours (TWh), a rise of 46 percent over 2015, which reflected growth in its spot power unit EPEX SPOT and integration of Prague-based Power Exchange Central Europe (PXE) and Serbian SEEPEX, which became part of the group in June.
Flagship German power futures gained 53 percent over 2015 alone to turn over 2,665 TWh - more than five times Germany's annual power consumption.
French power futures volumes doubled and Italian volumes gained 21 percent, while Spanish and Dutch volumes grew by 219 percent and 317 percent, albeit from very low levels.
Gas trading on the EEX jumped by 69 percent over the year to 1,756 TWh, compared with actual gas consumption of 940 TWh recorded for Germany alone.
Gas trading unit Pegas in the second half introduced products of the Austrian Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) and of Danish Gaspoint Nordic, to boost one-stop shopping in wider Europe.
EEX carbon emissions rights trading increased by 40 percent to total 950 million tonnes.
Roughly two thirds came from primary market auctions for EU Emissions Allowances and EU Aviation Allowances and the remainder from the EUA secondary market.
The EEX also traded agricultural products and benefited from higher volumes in dry bulk freights, iron ore and bunker contracts offered by its subsidiary, Singapore-based Cleartrade Exchange (CLTX).