Electricity prices in Southeast Europe increased for 9 October delivery, with Hungary reaching €269.43/MWh and Serbia recording the largest daily increase among the markets covered. Lower wind generation and nuclear outages tightened regional supply, raising reliance on imports and widening price differences versus Central European markets.
Day-ahead spreads widen across the region
Hungary’s day-ahead premium over Germany expanded to €190.86/MWh, compared with approximately €74.9/MWh a day earlier. While German electricity prices declined, most Southeast European markets recorded significant increases alongside higher cross-border imports.
Serbia’s SEEPEX day-ahead average rose by €60.6/MWh to €239.96/MWh, an increase of approximately 34%. Hungary added €55.2/MWh (nearly 26%) to its level, while Romania increased by €45.8/MWh to €255.20/MWh. Bulgaria’s average climbed by €33.1/MWh to €241.49/MWh.
Demand stable as wind output falls and imports rise
The price rally was linked to tightening generation availability rather than a substantial demand increase. Forecast electricity consumption across the markets covered rose by just 118 MW to 30,187 MW, while expected wind generation fell by 1,354 MW to 1,376 MW, almost halving versus the previous day.
Solar generation was forecast to increase by 319 MW to 5,339 MW, offsetting less than a quarter of the wind decline. Combined wind and solar generation fell by approximately 1,035 MW, increasing the need for alternative electricity sources.
Regional net imports increased by 1,523 MW to 4,247 MW, representing approximately 14% of forecast consumption compared with 9% a day earlier. Imports through monitored Austria–Slovakia routes into Hungary and Slovenia rose by 1,307 MW to 3,555 MW.
The additional imported electricity did not prevent Hungary’s premium over Germany from widening further. Daily averages alone do not indicate whether transmission constraints contributed to the price gap.
Nuclear outages reduce available generation
Nuclear outages added pressure to the regional supply balance. Romania’s Cernavoda plant was reported to have both reactors unavailable, with the outage expected to continue until at least 15 October and any restart dependent on conditions on the Danube.
Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant saw unit 6 enter annual maintenance scheduled through the end of November. Unit 5 was operating at approximately 917 MW gross, with available output also affected by low river levels.
Nuclear production across the regional generation markets covered had already declined by 645 MW to 3,216 MW on 8 October.
Other market moves and forward price changes in Hungary
Price increases were recorded across other Southeast European markets with varying magnitudes. Montenegro’s BELEN average rose by €14.6/MWh to €223.39/MWh, while Croatia increased by €22.1/MWh to €222.92/MWh. Slovenia advanced by €14.6/MWh to €211.73/MWh.