Regional and local factors push up spot electricity price above EUR 400 per MWh in Romania

A recent blackout in the Western Balkans states, the heatwave, and the nuclear plant Nuclearelectriva operating only one of its reactors pushed up the average electricity price on Romania’s day-ahead market (DAM) above EUR 200 per MWh for the delivery day June 25. The hourly price peaked above EUR 420 per MWh in the evening hours, Economica.net reported.

Both the average and the spike prices are new records for this year.

Higher average prices on the DAM market for June 25 were reported in Hungary and particularly Croatia, however, according to Profit.ro.

Last Friday, there was a widespread blackout affecting four Western Balkan states - three in total (Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and one in part (Croatia).

The flows during the peak consumption Unit 1 of the nuclear power plant from Cernavodă have been under review for a month, until June 25. Until then, Nuclearelectrica produces less than 700 MW, operating at half capacity.

Furthermore, the intermittent nature of the production in solar and wind power generating capacities, in the absence of storage capacities, is deepening the difference between the peak prices during the 20:00 to 22:00 period when a large amount of electricity is used for cooling during the heatwave period and the mid-day period when the PV panels of the dispatched power installations and the panels on prosumers’ homes are producing at their maximum capacity.

(Photo source: 17s/Dreamstime.com)