France records negative power prices for most of May

[Adokforme]

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/05/ ... st-of-may/

[Mart]

Long(ish) shot, but I wonder if this reflects a wider European change, so 'we' just don't need the cheap excess nuclear as much? Before large scale RE, other countries could always ramp down some more coal and gas, and buy France's excess nice and cheap.

Not knocking it, UK etc being able to grab the cheap excess has been good for us all, but it does depend on there not being too much excess, so just one France so to speak.

[dan_b]

EDF is gonna struggle to finance more new nuclear plants if that continues

[Countrypaul]

Long(ish) shot, but I wonder if this reflects a wider European change, so 'we' just don't need the cheap excess nuclear as much? Before large scale RE, other countries could always ramp down some more coal and gas, and buy France's excess nice and cheap.

Not knocking it, UK etc being able to grab the cheap excess has been good for us all, but it does depend on there not being too much excess, so just one France so to speak.

Does the quote: "“This discrepancy reflects the persistence of structural tensions on the network in the evening,” said Storio Energy." really mean they can't dispose of as much of the excess power to where it is needed t present as they would like, so transmission constraint rather like here?

[Ken]

Not so sure thats all that big a story.

"For 16days or more the wholesale price went negative or zero for a 5min bidding period".

I think that could apply to many countries including the UK. 5 weekends and public holidays when demand is low is 12days? just by itself.

Whilst the UK can demand follow or curtail the French nuclear cannot really so they just exports it. The excess nuclear has little value £

Media at it again.

[MikeNovack]

I think that because how this works in different places is so different, statemnts like this misleading. Not only the methods being different but the time intervals.

HERE (US) the primary price the grid pays the suppliers is fo six month contracts (and there can be longer). The bidding W. works like this. The grid operator says we need Q GW, who will sell. So suppliers make their offers "I'll give you q1 @ m1/GW'. Another says "q2 @ m2/GW. The grid operater sorts these in "m" order (cheapest first) and then begins adding up the "q"s until Q is reached. Informs all the suppliers up to that nth that reached Q that they are in and will be paid mn/QW << in other words, they ALL get paid the marginal rate >>

I'm simplifying over time of day difference, because yes of course, what the grid is out to buy depends on that. But that would confuse that these are all relatively long term (=six month) contracts. Again, can be for longer.