Risk, Discipline and the Evolution of Trading & Origination with Domenico De Luca of Axpo

Welcome back to The Pexapark Podcast! In the first part of the episode, we zoom out and look at how power markets are shifting across regulation, prices, and the wider energy world. ERCOT is launching real-time co-optimization and fully integrating BESS – the biggest reform since nodal pricing. Germany is moving toward dynamic grid fees that reward flexibility and penalize congestion. Denmark is abandoning “first come, first served” grid queues in favor of maturity-based prioritization. 

At the same time, Europe’s renewables landscape has entered a phase of abundance: more negative prices, lower capture factors, and pressure on debt structures where legacy PPAs weren’t designed for today’s volatility. Owners are rewriting contracts, reshaping hedges, and bridging the next 3–5 years until storage and flexibility scale. 

A new generation of IPPs is emerging – defined not by how well they build megawatts, but by how well they manage risk, revenue, and flexibility in markets where volatility is becoming the norm.

In the second half, Luca Pedretti speaks with Domenico De Luca, Head of Trading & Sales and Executive Board Member at Axpo, for a deep dive into how one of Europe’s largest trading organizations is navigating volatility, managing global portfolios, and preparing for a future shaped by renewables, storage, and shifting market fundamentals.

Enjoy a discussion on themes including:

• How trading & origination have evolved — and which fundamentals still anchor the business
• The shift from long-term to short-term value as volatility grows
• How renewables, cannibalization, and batteries are reshaping PPAs and merchant risk
• The emerging role of hybrid assets and tolling structures in storage
• Why Europe still needs long-duration flexibility and disciplined risk-taking

Notes

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗣𝗣 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Instead of passively taking weather-driven output, they control and optimize when and how renewables hit the grid and the market – shaping, shifting, and firming power as they scale into multi-GW, multi-tech, multi-market portfolios.

If you want to understand what “next-gen IPP” looks like in practice, we’ve made two free resources available on the Pexapark website:

• 𝗣𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 8 interviews with early leaders who are re-defining the IPP model in Europe. Listen here
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗣𝗣 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: a hands-on guide for energy leaders, unpacking how IPPs are evolving to capture value, manage risk, and optimize revenues in modern power markets. Read/download free here (no forms)

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