Management fee
Commissioned by Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE)
Publication date: 30.10.2025
Swissgrid has announced that, as of 1 January 2026, the mechanism for calculating the imbalance energy price will switch from the current dual-price model to a single-price model. This removes the distinction between short and long prices in favour of a uniform imbalance price for each 15-minute interval. This fundamental change directly affects the calculation logic of the variable component of the management fee. A methodological realignment is therefore necessary to ensure equal treatment of plants under direct marketing and those receiving feed-in remuneration.
In this study, we analyse the consequences of this transition and examine, on a technology-specific basis, how the new single-price imbalance price system affects the imbalance costs of the various technologies. Building on this, we develop a new, robust and transparent methodology for calculating the variable component of the management fee from 2026 onward.
