Axpo named best power trader in the world

13.03.2018 - Worldwide recognition for Axpo: Number 1 nine times and once again the world's best power trading company in the annual survey conducted by the trade magazines "Risk" and "Energy Risk”. After achieving numerous top ranks in previous years, customers and business partners voted Axpo the number 1 in nine categories this year. The excellent feedback demonstrates that Axpo is the leader in many markets when it comes to customer needs such as local presence, speed and agility.

Every year, the trade magazines "Risk" and "Energy Risk" ask some 1,500 market players and customers to assess counterparties in energy trading according to criteria such as price, flexibility, market making, reliability, integrity and processing speed. Axpo has established itself as a regular in the top positions - an indication that the corporate strategy to expand international presence and business activities, and the focus on speed, agility and professional risk management are bearing fruit.

Domenico De Luca, Head of Trading and Sales at Axpo, comments: "Axpo's sustainable success in the survey is thanks to our specialists and their extensive know-how in the individual countries. I am pleased that the expansion of our international business activities is clearly bearing fruit, and that our customers and partners value our work. We understand their needs and try to find the best solution for every issue."

Top ranks around the world

In the meantime, Axpo is the leader in nine categories. The company figures at the top - as often times in the past - among the worldwide best power trading companies. In addition, Axpo achieved top positions in power trading in numerous countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy as well as in Northern Europe. In most cases, Axpo has placed as the number 1 or among the top 3 for several years in the past. In France and Eastern Europe, Axpo moved up the ranks to 2nd place this year.

Axpo is not only a leader in power trading. It is positioned in the top ranks for the categories in gas trading. The company was voted the best market player in the category Italy (gas hub PSV) and was among the best in the worldwide ranking for "Natural Gas Dealers". As in the previous year, Axpo also placed in the top 10 worldwide ranking for commodity trading: The category "Best Overall Dealers" includes companies that mainly deal in oil, gas, power, fuels, coal, iron ore, metals and emission certificates.

Top address for innovative customer solutions

Axpo's international business generates a substantial contribution to company profits. Particularly in the area of international marketing and power procurement, the business with natural gas and energy certificates for customers (origination) has developed positively. Axpo is now present in 27 coun-tries and active in 39 markets. The customer base includes industrial companies, producers, energy supply companies, SME's as well as market players from the area of renewable energies. Axpo is the leading marketer of renewable energy in Europe with a customer portfolio holding an installed capacity of approx. 14,000 MW.

Axpo will offer its customers more tailored solutions in the future. In the USA, where Axpo has concentrated on the East Coast since launching the business in 2016, the first transaction in the Texan market (ERCOT) was recently concluded. The price risks in Texas differ greatly between off-peak and peak hours during the day. Many energy suppliers and distributors try to hedge end customer usage profiles by responding to their power consumption on an hourly basis. These types of customer-specific products cannot simply be traded on the exchanges. They are the result of tailored analyses offered by Axpo. With innovative customer solutions like these, Axpo plans to drive forward the steady geographic expansion of business activities in the USA.

Another promising business field is the area of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Recently, Axpo enabled the financing and construction of a 25-MW solar plant in Portugal with no subsidisa-tion. Project realisation was only possible because Axpo Iberia provided a long-term price and supply guarantee up to the year 2029 for the generated solar power, and will market this energy autonomously. This pioneer project will shape similar construction projects in the upcoming years and gives Axpo an opportunity to generate additional revenues.

In Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Poland, Axpo is planning to increase the number of delivery points for power and gas in the retail business. In the Western European markets, increasing the market volume for renewable energies is at the top of the agenda and in the LNG (liquefied natural gas) area, worldwide presence will the steadily expanded.