Under article 5 of Legislative Decree no. 79 of 16 March 1999, "Gestore del Mercato Elettrico S.p.A." (GME) is the company vested with the organisation and economic management of the electricity market, i.e. the regulated wholesale electricity market, commonly known as "Italian Power Exchange" (Ipex).
GME is fully owned by the company "Gestore dei Servizi Energetici - GSE S.p.A." (GSE), which is in turn fully owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. GSE has also full control of the company "Acquirente Unico S.p.A." (AU).
The creation of GME is part of the wider process of liberalisation of the electricity sector, which was started in 1999. The mission of GME is to favour the development of a competitive national power system.
To date, GME has been one of the main institutional reference entities of the electricity sector. As such, it plays a key role together with the other institutional entities of the sector (Ministry of Environment and Energy Security - MASE, of Economy and Finance, "Autorità di Regolazione per Energia Rete e Ambiente" – Arera, the Italian electricity & gas regulator - etc.).
The power exchange - a fundamental instrument for creating a competitive electricity market in Italy - favours the setting of efficient clearing prices, which enable producers and wholesalers to sell and buy electricity where it is most cost-effective. Moreover, the power exchange ensures transparency and security of trades to its Participants. Indeed, GME fulfils its responsibilities by ensuring neutrality, transparency, objectivity and competition between producers, in accordance with the Decree that established it.
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