Europe · Business news · Commodities · 07 Aug 2026
EU Utilities Materials Industrials
Average day-ahead wholesale electricity prices rose in most of Europe in July, according to Ember data cited by GMK Center: Italy €156.77/MWh (+18.5% on June), France €96.61 (+45.8%) and Spain €104.79 (+50.6%), while Germany eased 3.9% to €106.79 and Sweden fell 32.9% to €45.88. The drivers named are volatile wind output, rising carbon prices and higher gas costs. A heatwave in late July and early August cut nuclear availability: EDF shut Golfech-2 on 30 July as temperatures reached 40°C, and French evening prices in July reached around €200/MWh. Low Danube levels threatened Hungary's Paks plant, and MOL and Audi were among firms that reduced consumption.
Wholesale power is revenue for generators such as EDF's listed peers, Iberdrola, Enel, RWE and Engie, with the split depending on what each runs: nuclear output curbed by river temperatures cannot capture high prices, while gas plants earn more but pay more for fuel and carbon. For electricity-intensive industry — electric-arc steel, aluminium, chemicals, cement — it is a direct cost, and the article shows plants in Hungary cutting consumption. Italy's gas-heavy system kept its prices the highest of the large markets.
Reported by GMK Center — “Electricity prices in Europe rose in July amid a heatwave and rising gas prices” ↗ on 07 Aug 2026.
Official series on 07 Aug 2026 or the last day before it, and the latest observation.
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