There was no wind in Europe and electricity prices skyrocketed. The closure of wind power plants had to be compensated for by gas generation. In Germany, prices during peak hours increased 8 times. Experts believe this is a wake-up call for the region.
If on Sunday the maximum price for wholesale electricity in Germany during peak hours did not exceed 128 euros per MWh, on Wednesday, November 6, it already reached 805-820 euros per MWh. This is what wholesale electricity costs from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., according to the NordPool exchange.
Prices are the highest since the peak of the energy crisis in 2022. And the reason turned out to be the lack of wind. This period is called Dunkelflaute, when static high-pressure systems produce weaker than normal winds. According to the Solar Energy Systems Institute. Fraunhofer, the share of wind generation in Germany fell from the annual average of 32% to almost zero. Wind turbines operate at only 7% of their capacity.
The same thing happened in the United Kingdom. According to National Grid:live, wind generation in Foggy Albion has decreased to 7.6%.
At the same time, the share of gas generation increased in the UK to 60% and in Germany to almost 30%. For the latter, it is a triple jump.
And as the price of gas in Europe remains more than double what it was before the crisis ($460 on the TTF exchange), the price of electricity production has also skyrocketed.
Poland’s power grid operator, PSE, declared a state of emergency and ordered all reserve power plants to use their power on demand. Gas and coal-fired power plants accounted for 95% of the country’s electricity production as of November 6, according to PSE.
“As Europe seeks to rapidly expand its wind and solar power generation capacity, it continues to rely on expensive hydrocarbons as a reserve. “One of the region’s biggest challenges is ensuring cheap, clean energy is available when it is needed.” – noted in Bloomberg.
Deputy Director of the National Energy Security Fund (NESF) Alexey Grivach believes that the current calm in Europe is a bell that rings from time to time, as a reminder to European dreamers of the harsh truth of life.
“Calm conditions combined with cold weather in February will, given the current ratio of wind and solar energy, have much more serious consequences for the energy system. And even more so in combination with other negative factors.” – points out the expert.
As reported EADaily Due to sanctions and counter-sanctions, Gazprom reduced supplies to Europe about five times. At the same time, Russian fuel remains one of the most competitive. While maintaining only two export routes, Gazprom increased supplies to Europe by 15% during the 10 months of the year. The company’s clients increased the selection of Russian gas up to 26.5 billion cubic meters. Half of the increase came from Greek companies.
