15% drop in Dutch baseload prices amidst surge in wind power generation

Last week, Dutch baseload power prices dropped by 15%, averaging 74.83 €/MWh, primarily due to a sharp increase in wind generation. While solar output remaining stable compared to the previous week, wind generation surged to 343 GWh—an increase of 204 GWh week-on-week. This significant boost in renewable output helped suppress prices, even as gas markets experienced temporary volatility.

On Sunday, August 3rd, several European countries experienced extended periods of negative pricing between Hour 10 to Hour 17. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany saw seven consecutive hours of negative prices, while France experienced eight. This was driven by a combination of low weekend demand, strong wind generation across the BENELUX region and Denmark, and the return of France’s Belleville 2 reactor following an unplanned outage. These factors resulted in a significant oversupply of electricity, pushing prices into negative territory. In the Netherlands, power prices fell as low as -10,08 €/MWh for one hour, reflecting the impact of excess renewable generation on a low-demand day. The Claus C power plant, with a capacity of 1.3 GW, remained offline from July 30 to August 3 due to external factors.