The Client
As a leading European utility and global wind energy pioneer, the client is at the forefront of the energy transition. With rapid growth in renewables and a broad portfolio spanning power, gas, LNG, oil, coal, certificates, and derivatives, expanding into new markets heightened the complexity of trading and risk management – driving the need for a more integrated, agile solution.
The Assignment
The client embarked on a major transformation initiative to modernize its energy trading and risk infrastructure. At the heart of the project was the implementation of ION’s Openlink Commodities ETRM platform, intended to unify fragmented systems, optimize Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and significantly enhance risk visibility and strategic decision-making.
capSpire was engaged as a specialist partner to provide cross-functional leadership and deep market expertise, ensuring that the solution was designed, implemented, and tailored to support the client’s high-growth renewables trading strategy.
The Challenges
Despite being a market leader, the client faced several pressing challenges:
- Fragmented System Landscape – Disconnected legacy tools and manual processes hindered visibility and created operational inefficiencies.
- Limited Insight into Risk and P&L – Without integrated analytics, it was difficult to assess exposure in a timely manner, perform accurate VaR calculations, or manage risk holistically.
- PPA and Generation Complexity – Modeling variable wind generation contracts and settling PPAs required significant manual effort, limiting scalability.
- Scalability Constraints – As the client expanded into new geographies and traded more products, their systems couldn’t keep pace with onboarding requirements or data volume.
The capSpire Solution
To meet these challenges, capSpire brought in comprehensive services and deep domain knowledge, becoming a trusted advisor throughout the transformation. Our contributions included:
- Project Management and Coordination – capSpire oversaw project delivery across global teams, aligning technical implementation with business goals.
- Functional and Technical Leadership – Our experts led the configuration of Openlink Commodities to support complex deal types, with a focus on PPAs and renewables generation modeling.
- Advanced PPA Modeling and Integration – Built a tailored framework to capture Power PPA contracts, automating settlement processes.
- Pricing and Value-at-Risk (VaR) Configuration – Enabled accurate, timely risk analysis by configuring valuation models and exposure reporting.
- Data Migration and Custom Integrations – Delivered robust migration strategies from legacy systems and developed seamless interfaces to third-party platforms and forecasting tools.
The Impact
The successful implementation of the Openlink Commodities ETRM platform delivered transformative benefits across the client’s trading and risk functions:
- PPA Revenue Optimization – Enhanced modeling and forecasting led to improved valuation, hedging, and settlement of renewable-based PPAs.
- Unified, Scalable Platform – Consolidation of systems reduced operational overhead, enabling faster onboarding of new assets and products.
- Improved Risk and P&L Visibility – Analytics now provide clear, actionable insights into portfolio performance and risk exposure.
- Operational Efficiency Gains – Automation replaced manual workflows, reducing errors and freeing up valuable human resources.
- Strategic Agility in Renewables Markets – With a modern and flexible ETRM backbone, the client can confidently expand into new markets and innovate in contract structures.
*Previously known as “Openlink” or “Endur”
