The EU Data Act: Opportunities for Energy Service Providers
On the way to data hubs, data rooms and data economy
The EU Data Act, which came into force on January 11, 2024 and has been fully applicable since September 12, 2025, will become a central driver for digital change in the Energy industry. Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 aims to simplify access to data, ensure interoperability and create a level playing field for all market participants. For the Energy Service Provider (ESP) market role, which was created by BNetzA decision BK6-20-160 in December 2020 and established in market communication from October 2022, the Data Act means new opportunities for innovative business models – but also the obligation to implement additional regulatory and technical requirements.
Parallel to this, the BDEW (German Association of Energy and Water Industries) has published new specifications for web APIs in close coordination with the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), which serve as the technological basis for standardized data exchange in the energy market. These APIs have been mandatory for certain market communication processes since April 2025; extensions for measured values and time series data have been announced for 2026.
What Is the EU Data Act and Why Is It Important for the Energy Industry?
The Data Act (Regulation (EU) 2023/2854) pursues three core objectives:
Facilitate data access: Businesses and consumers receive a statutory right to share data from devices and platforms.
Fairness in the data market: Providers should not create unacceptable barriers to the use of data.
Ensure interoperability: Uniform standards should facilitate the exchange between systems.
This legal framework is particularly important in the energy industry. Data from smart metering systems (iMSys), IoT devices, and energy management solutions form the basis for flexibility management, energy efficiency services, and digital value-added products.
Open questions on implementation
As Bitkom emphasized in its press release dated September 12, 2025, despite the applicability of the regulation, many questions regarding its practical implementation remain unanswered – for example, regarding liability, data sovereignty, and cost allocation. The lack of supervisory structures and unclear responsibilities in Germany are also making implementation more difficult. Nevertheless, the Data Act will permanently change the market and establish new roles.
Further information:
What Opportunities Does the EU Data Act Offer for Energy Service Providers?
The ESA role is gaining massive importance with these developments:
Data-based services
Parallel to the Data Act, regulations such as §14a EnWG and the Metering Point Operation Act (MsbG) enable access to high-frequency measured values:
- Minute and 15-minute values as the basis for data-based flexibility management
- Diversion of energy flows in buildings, charging points, heat pumps, and storage systems
- Networked products: Collection of data and standardized provision of value-added services for end customers, such as energy apps, CO₂ analyses, and consumption optimization
New business models
- Aggregation of flexibilities
- Provision of efficiency services
- Building management and storage optimization
- Optimized charging of electric vehicles
With the BDEW Web APIs for market communication (MaLo-Ident, universal ordering process, directory services) available since April 2025 and the extensions for measured values and time series data announced for 2026, it will be possible to offer these services in a scalable and interoperable manner – independent of proprietary solutions of individual Network operators or Measurement point operators.
Further information:
How Can Companies Implement the EU Data Act in Practice?
Recommendations for the industry
Energy service providers require practical IT solutions to ensure that the EU Data Act exceeds merely a legal framework and delivers tangible added value. Even though the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the BNetzA have yet to decide on the details, the following pragmatic roadmap is a good idea:
ensure data access
- Development of interfaces that enable legally compliant access to measured values, load profiles, and master data
- Implementation of technical solutions for data portability and user rights
Compliant use
- Implementation of role and rights concepts to ensure data sovereignty, data protection, and IT security
- Compliance with GDPR requirements in parallel with the Data Act
Use standardized APIs
- Use of open interfaces in accordance with BDEW specifications (API Guideline 1.0) to promote interoperability and scalability in the market
- Preparation for future measured value APIs
Integration into existing processes
- Connection to market communication systems and IT landscapes to efficiently integrate the new data streams
- AS4 protocol support since October 2023
Enabling innovation
- Development of data-driven services - from flexibility management and CO₂ analyses to value-added services for end customers
- Enable compliance and IT teams to process data requests
Support from IT service providers
In this way, companies can use the EU Data Act to meet regulatory requirements on the one hand and to develop innovative business models on the other. Arvato Systems is actively supporting companies in the energy and utilities industry in implementing the EU Data Act and is already developing solutions that enable secure and standardized data access, for example, to smart meter and HEMS data.
With a comprehensive portfolio of services - from scalable SaaS platforms and integration and communication services to proven industry expertise - the experts at Arvato Systems support companies in efficiently meeting the regulatory requirements of the regulated energy and utilities industry, while also tapping into new data-driven business models.
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What Impact Will the EU Data Act Have on the Energy Industry in the Long Term?
The EU Data Act, the new BDEW Web APIs, and the intensively debated shift to central registers, such as the MaBiS Hub (gas) and the planned GPKE Hub (electricity), mark a turning point for the energy industry. They create a framework in which data can be better used, shared, and monetized - to the benefit of consumers, energy suppliers, and innovative energy service providers.
Strategic importance
Even if, as Bitkom representatives emphasize, legal and practical questions remain unanswered, companies should start adapting their data strategies and platforms at an early stage.
Those who focus on interoperability, API standards, and data governance now will not only secure regulatory compliance but also a decisive competitive advantage in the energy market of tomorrow.
Timeline of the most important milestones
- 21.12.2020 BNetzA decision BK6-20-160: Introduction of the ESA market role
- 01.10.2022 Start of ESA processes in market communication
- 11.01.2024 EU Data Act comes into force (20-month transition period)
- 01.04.2025 BDEW Web APIs become mandatory (API0001, API0002, API0003)
- 12.09.2025 EU Data Act becomes fully applicable
- 2026 Planned extension of the BDEW APIs for measured values/time series data
- 12.01.2027 Complete abolition of switching fees for cloud services
What Contribution Does Market Communication Make to Data Hubs and Data Rooms?
Secure market communication is highly formalized today (GPKE, MaBiS, WiM). The Federal Network Agency and BDEW have developed the technical building blocks that already form the basis for data hubs and data rooms:
Technical infrastructure
Smart meter PKI
The German smart meter public key infrastructure ensures security and authentication in national market communication, forming a trust infrastructure that can be integrated into European data rooms in the future.
BDEW Web-API
Standardizes access to data (instead of proprietary solutions). Current specifications include:
- API0001: MaLo-Ident for the 24-hour change of supplier
- API0002: Universal ordering process for control actions (§14a EnWG)
- API0003: Directory services for communication parameters
Extensions for measured values and high-frequency time series data are planned for 2026.
API directory services
Make available data sources and interfaces findable - similar to a library catalog.
The path to data rooms
In conjunction with the EU Data Act, this becomes the first step towards data spaces:
EESA can request and provide standardized data
- Non-personal data flows automatically into the infrastructure
- Value-added services are created on an interoperable, trustworthy basis
This is how we approach the vision: data rooms, such as those in the Future Energy Lab of dena or GAIA-X, demonstrate how energy data can be utilized across the board - from dynamic tariffs to charging infrastructure certificates.
Further information:
Conclusion
The EU Data Act marks a significant step forward for the European data economy, creating new opportunities for energy service providers. The combination of different approaches forms the basis for a new era of data-driven services in the energy industry:
- European regulation (Data Act)
- National market roles (ESA since 2022)
- Technical standards (BDEW Web APIs from 2025)
- Sector-specific regulations (Section 14a EnWG, MsbG)
The experts at Arvato Systems are actively supporting companies in the energy and utilities industry in the implementation of the EU Data Act. They are already developing solutions that enable secure and standardized data access, for example, to smart meter and HEMS data. As a reliable partner, Arvato Systems lays the groundwork for energy suppliers and energy service providers to capitalize on the opportunities presented by data sharing and to solidify their long-term market position.
Written by
André Hoffmann is the Head of Product Portfolio Energy at Arvato Systems and an IT expert for the energy and utilities industry. He is responsible for developing platform solutions and driving innovation for solutions for smart meters, billing, market communication, customer service, and IoT.