French nuclear production jumps to 2019 high as German wind power falls; oil generation surges to meet demand
Nuclear generation in France rose to its highest level in almost six years, offsetting lower wind energy production in Western Europe.
Electricité de France SA’s (EDF) reactor fleet generated more than 55 gigawatts of electricity on Wednesday morning, the highest volume since February 2019. The country is exporting some of this energy to Germany, where wind generation is expected to drop to a low of 3.8 gigawatts this afternoon, about 20% of normal, according to a Bloomberg model.
After shutting down its last nuclear plant last year, Germany is more reliant on imports and expensive gas and coal-fired plants as wind power output falls.
On Monday, oil-fired electricity generation in Germany reached its highest level since at least 2017. At that time, wind production was still around 20 gigawatts.
Intraday electricity prices in Germany rose to around €330 per megawatt-hour in the period between 5pm and 6pm this Wednesday at Epex Spot SE, more than double the value recorded on Tuesday at the same time.
With energy prices increasingly volatile, calls to restart some of Germany’s nuclear plants are resurfacing ahead of elections next month, while rising tensions with Russia put energy security in the spotlight. Operators such as RWE AG have ruled out such proposals.
Overall, prices are being held back by milder than average temperatures in Germany over the next few days. However, cooler weather and even lower weekend wind generation could lead to price spikes during the period.
With information from Bloomberg*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/01/15/quando-o-vento-alemao-para-o-atomo-frances-ressoa-com-forca/
