German day-ahead baseload power prices dropped below Eur30/MWh Thursday as wind power output was forecast to rise above 20 GW ahead of calmer weather conditions, which lifted contracts further out, a source said.
Baseload power for day-ahead delivery was last heard OTC Eur2.50 lower at Eur28.50/MWh, while peakload shed Eur2.10 to Eur33.90/MWh, some of the lowest working-day-ahead levels so far this winter season.
Epex Spot settled Friday again below OTC at Eur26.40/MWh baseload and Eur31.32/MWh peakload.
By contrast, day-ahead baseload in the market-coupled French market settled more than 75% higher at Eur46.57/MWh, while Switzerland's spot price was more than double the German level amid transformer bottlenecks in the Swiss power grid between the cross-border 380 kv grid and the lower 220 kv regional distribution grid.
Wind infeed during baseload hours Friday was set to rise around 3 GW day on day to 21 GW, before falling below 10 GW by Sunday, according to a source.
In November, wind generation averaged a record 15 GW/hour, data from Platts Renewable Power Tracker showed.
Available conventional generation capacity from nuclear, lignite and coal-fired power plants was set to inch higher to top 44 GW Friday, according to EEX transparency.
The much awaited return of the Belgian 1 GW Tihange 2 reactor was pushed back to Saturday morning, further easing any pressure on regional demand with temperatures set to remain firmly above seasonal averages throughout next week, the latest weather forecasts showed.
Looking further out, week ahead baseload power was little changed at Eur32.75/MWh after gaining more than Eur1 Wednesday on the back of a downward revision in the wind forecast for week 51, a trader said.
