Senior Energy Market Analyst - Support

Energy Exemplar acquires SIMONE Research Group and LIWACOM Informationstechnik. Strengthening a world-leading energy modeling and simulation platform with global leadership in gas network simulation and optimization Salt Lake City, September 1, 2026 - Energy Exemplar, an industry-leading global provider of energy market simulation software, today announced that it has acquired SIMONE Research Group, based in Prague, Czech Republic, and LIWACOM Informationstechnik, based in Essen, Germany. Together, the two companies are global leaders in the simulation and optimization of gas transport and distribution. Their jointly developed SIMONE software is backed by more than 50 years of experience and deep relationships across the gas industry. Combining the SIMONE software's physical network modeling with Energy Exemplar's economic modeling platform, PLEXOS(R), brings together two complementary views of the energy system. The acquisition meaningfully deepens Energy Exemplar's expertise in the gas commodity space and extends its reach into the Gas Transmission System Operator (TSO) and Gas Distribution System Operator (DSO) segments, critical parts of the energy value chain. The strategic management of gas networks remains top of mind globally, reinforcing the importance of simulating new scenarios across energy markets and infrastructure. A leader in pipeline simulation and optimization, SIMONE software is built on theoretical and operational excellence. With SIMONE now part of the Energy Exemplar portfolio, Customers will be able to physically validate their gas networks against economic scenarios developed in PLEXOS(R), and conversely run economic scenarios grounded in expected physical flows - closing the loop between market strategy and network operations. SIMONE software can also model all types of gases, including biomethane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, enabling customers to simulate their networks as the gas system evolves toward new and blended fuels. Additionally, SIMONE software provides real-time leak detection and predictive risk analysis, giving operators continuous visibility into network conditions, and the ability to act before problems escalate. "The acquisition of SIMONE Research Group and LIWACOM strengthens our position by connecting the physical and economic dimensions of the energy system. I'm delighted to welcome the SIMONE and LIWACOM teams to Energy Exemplar," said David Wilson, CEO, Energy Exemplar. "Joining Energy Exemplar gives our customers a substantially larger partner with a deeper bench of resources, while preserving the continuity of the products, teams, and relationships they know today, backed by continued investment in the SIMONE roadmap," said Marko Haulis, CEO, SIMONE Research Group. "The deep, trusted relationships we have built across the gas industry over five decades are well aligned with Energy Exemplar's commitment to customer success, and they will remain central as we move forward together," said Martin Mans, Managing Director, LIWACOM Informationstechnik. About Energy Exemplar In an era where the world is rapidly advancing towards a cleaner future through decarbonization, Energy Exemplar's mission lies in "Empowering Transformative Energy Decisions". Founded in 1999 in Adelaide, Australia, its award-winning software portfolio - encompassing the modeling and simulation platform PLEXOS(R), Aurora, and Adapt2 - is trusted by innovative organizations across the globe. Energy Exemplar is now extending that trust with AI capabilities that help decision makers across the energy industry act faster and with greater confidence. Through its technology and people, Energy Exemplar Pty Ltd strive to enable stakeholders from across the entire energy value chain to revolutionize the energy ecosystem and collaboratively plan and execute for a sustainable energy future with unprecedented clarity, speed, and innovation. About SIMONE Research Group Founded in Prague, Czech Republic, SIMONE Research Group has spent more than 50 years developing SIMONE, the industry-standard software platform for gas pipeline network simulation and optimization. SIMONE gives gas transmission and distribution operators real-time visibility into their networks - monitoring network state, detecting leaks, predicting future conditions, and optimizing operations from a single integrated environment. SIMONE is deployed at more than 100 operators across 50 countries. About LIWACOM Informationstechnik Based in Essen, Germany, LIWACOM Informationstechnik has been SIMONE Research Group's development partner for decades, contributing to the platform's user interface, real-time functions, and SCADA integration. LIWACOM has also developed a metrology-approved gas quality and billing reconstruction capability, officially recognized by national metrology agencies in several European countries for regulatory billing purposes. MEDIA CONTACT Lindsey Paschal, Chief Marketing Officer Energy Exemplar [email protected]

How fundamental modeling anchors decisions in Volatile energy markets. The energy transition is reshaping power and commodity markets at an unprecedented pace - but it is no longer the only source of disruption. At Energy Exemplar's Xcelerate conference, in Amsterdam, Thomas Piper, Head of Global Market Analysis at RWE Supply & Trading, examined how geopolitics, policy shifts, and rapid renewable deployment are combining to create heightened volatility across gas, carbon, and power markets. Piper described today's environment as one of uncertainty and turbulence, driven by politics, regulation, and changing investment behavior. For analysts and planners, the challenge is no longer simply understanding fundamentals but interpreting them in markets increasingly shaped by short-term information flows. When Uncertainty Become Structural Trade tensions, evolving sanctions, ongoing global conflicts, and shifting regulatory priorities all inject noise into markets already undergoing rapid physical change. Forward curves now react to political statements and real-time news as much as supply-demand fundamentals. "The market is headline and tweet driven," Pipe observed. "The geopolitical and micro-news flow is challenging [for energy markets] right now" In this environment, short-term price movements can diverge sharply from fundamentals, even as those fundamentals remain critical for long-term investment and system reliability. Gas and Carbon Markets under Policy and Sentiment Pressure Gas markets illustrate this dynamic clearly. European prices have experienced sharp swings and wide daily trading ranges, influenced by impacts like mild weather, and regulatory intervention. In particular, the relaxation of gas storage requirements altered seasonal spreads almost immediately. Carbon markets face a similar tension. Weak industrial activity has softened near-term emissions demand, while longer-term supply remains structurally constrained by declining caps and the Market Stability Reserve. Piper described this as "the paradox of the carbon market," where analysts may be bearish in the short term but bullish over the medium term. Financial investor positioning further amplifies volatility, complicating interpretation of price signals. Power Systems Under Strain from Renewable Growth In power markets, the energy transition is increasingly visible at the hourly level. Rapid solar deployment has led to frequent midday oversupply and negative prices, while steep evening ramps test system flexibility. Piper highlighted periods when German solar generation exceeded 50 GW, forcing the system to absorb large volumes of low-cost power. "We are usually dipping around zero," Piper said, "but at weekends you see prices that can be massively negative." At the opposite extreme, low-wind, low-solar conditions have produced scarcity events with sharp price spikes. At the same time, coal and lignite exits continue to reduce dispatchable capacity. "We have an increasing loss of flexible capacity," Piper noted, increasing reliance on gas and other fast-ramping resources. Grid constraints, redispatch, and growing volumes of behind-the-meter generation further reduce transparency and complicated system operations. Plan for Uncertainty. Model with PLEXOS(R). See how PLEXOS(R) helps you evaluate policy risk, renewable volatility, and price uncertainty with system-level precision. Explore what's possible. Why Point Forecasts Are No Longer Enough These dynamics create a new set of modeling challenges. Data quality and consistency are critical when markets respond rapidly to both physical conditions and political signals. Piper emphasized that this remains a core constraint for analysts. "The biggest challenge is still data quality and stable data flows," Piper said. "You want daily overnight runs, but data sources can be faulty, formats can change, and you need to be confident that what you're modeling is actually reliable." Beyond data infrastructure, analysts must contend with several structural shifts that complicate forecasting: * Reduced system visibility from behind-the-meter solar and batteries, which materially affect load and price formation but are difficult to observe directly * More frequent extreme price outcomes, including deep negative prices during high renewable output and sharp scarcity spikes during low-wind, low-solar periods * Tighter operational constraints, as coal and lignite retirements reduce flexible capacity and increase reliance on fast-ramping resources * Higher policy sensitivity, where changes to storage rules, emissions caps, or market design can reshape outcomes faster than physical assets change Embedded generation and distributed batteries intensify these challenges. Because they sit behind the meter, Piper explained, "they are not really measured... they are just kind of part of the demand." Extreme outcomes are no longer anomalies but features that models must explicitly capture. PLEXOS(R): Making Sense of Volatility Through Modeling This is where advanced market simulation platforms such as PLEXOS(R) fit. In volatile environments, the value of modeling is not to predict every news-driven price move, but to provide a defensible, physics-based anchor for decision-making. PLEXOS(R) grounds analysis in the operational realities of the power system - generation, transmission, fuel supply, emissions constraints, and demand - while enabling structured scenario analysis around policy, weather, and market uncertainty. As Piper noted when discussing modeling philosophy: "It's really tricky how you model tweet-driven trading," Piper noted. "That's why fundamental modeling is still something you should do - to have your basis, and to understand whether the market is overreacting or underreacting." Chronological dispatch and security-constrained modeling allow analysts to examine renewable-driven volatility, ramping requirements, negative prices, and scarcity events in detail. Integrated fuel and emissions modeling support consistent analysis of gas burn and carbon allowance demand, helping distinguish short-term market noise from longer-term structural drivers. Modeling with Confidence in Volatile Markets Discover how PLEXOS(R) can help your team model policy risk, renewable volatility, and market uncertainty with confidence. Modeling as a Solution for Insight, not Prediction In markets defined by rapid change and political uncertainty, modeling is not about eliminating risk, it is about understanding it. By combining high-quality data, structured scenarios, and physically grounded simulation, platforms like PLEXOS(R) help analysts move beyond reactive forecasting toward durable insight. As Piper concluded, "the market is still showing the right signals," but only for those equipped to interpret them. In a world shaped by news- and policy-driven volatility, anchoring decisions in system fundamentals is becoming essential for navigating the next phase of the energy transition.

Global energy software company Energy Exemplar appoints Emilio G. Marisei as Senior Vice President, EMEA.