During the last week of April, most major European electricity markets opened with higher prices compared to the beginning of the previous week. Although a sharp price drop occurred on May 1 across several markets, prices generally recovered quickly over the weekend, leading to higher weekly averages in most regions.
However, the British, Dutch, and Belgian markets moved against this trend, recording price declines of 2.7%, 3.9%, and 7.3%, respectively. The Italian market remained broadly stable, edging down slightly by 0.6%, while the French market registered the strongest increase at 63%, largely due to an exceptionally low base in the previous week. In other markets analyzed by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting, price increases ranged from 4.7% in Germany to 39% in the Nordic region.
Weekly average prices generally remained below €65/MWh across most European markets. The exceptions were the British and Italian markets, with averages of €105.61/MWh and €108.49/MWh, respectively. The French market recorded the lowest weekly average at just €12.45/MWh, while other markets ranged between €55.24/MWh in the Nordics and €64.75/MWh in the Netherlands.
On a daily basis, the French market recorded an exceptionally low price of €41.39/MWh on May 1, marking the lowest daily value in its history. On the same day, Germany and Belgium also experienced negative prices, at −€2.08/MWh and −€5.47/MWh, respectively. In Belgium, this was the lowest level since May 2025. The Dutch and Italian markets also reached their lowest daily prices since October 2025 on May 1.
In contrast, the Italian and British markets frequently recorded daily prices above €100/MWh, with peaks exceeding €120/MWh during the week. The highest daily average was observed in Italy on April 28, reaching €128.59/MWh.
Overall, upward pressure on prices was driven by higher gas prices and lower wind and solar generation, although reduced demand in some markets temporarily limited increases. Looking ahead, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting expects prices to rise across European markets in the first week of May, supported by recovering demand, lower wind output in key regions, and continued influence from gas price movements, AleaSoft reports.