The last week of 2023 registered the expected drop in demand due to the holiday period. Increased solar energy production in Germany and France contributed to price declines in the EPEX SPOT market. However, wind and solar energy production fell in Italy and the Iberian Peninsula, contributing to price increases in these markets. Gas prices continued their downward trend, approaching €30/MWh.

In the week of December 25, changes in solar energy production compared to the previous week showed no clear trend in the main European electricity markets. Solar energy production increased by 43% and 2.9% in the German and French markets, respectively. In the Southern European markets, the opposite was true. In Italy and the Iberian Peninsula, solar energy production fell by 33% and 26%, respectively.

For the week of January 1, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s solar energy production forecasts, it will decrease in Germany, Italy and Spain.

For wind energy production, during the last week of 2023, there was a weekly decline in all major European electricity markets. The drop ranged from 63% in Italy to 1.6% in France. Despite the drop in production for the week overall, on December 31 the French market generated 391 GWh of wind energy, the highest daily value according to historical data.

For the week of January 1, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s wind energy production forecasts indicate that it will increase in Spain, Portugal and Italy, but it will decrease in France and Germany.