German day-ahead power prices eased further Thursday as wind power output was set to ramp up, reaching levels above 10 GW this weekend, offsetting reduced solar and nuclear output, according to sources.
Baseload power for day-ahead delivery was last heard OTC Eur2.45 lower at Eur24.50/MWh, while peakload shed Eur2.20 to Eur26/MWh.
Epex Spot settled Friday above OTC at Eur25.24/MWh baseload and Eur26.56/MWh peakload.
Wind output was forecast to almost triple to around 6 GW for average baseload hours Friday, rising further above 10 GW for the weekend, according to a forecast by spotrenewables.
Wind output this past winter averaged above 12 GW each hour between October and March, data from Platts Renewable Power Tracker showed.
Solar was forecast to drop Friday, averaging around 6 GW during peakload hours, down from around 9 GW Thursday, the forecast showed.
Solar reached its highest daily output this year Monday with almost 170 GWh generated and peaks above 21 GW, transmission systems operator data on EEX transparency showed.
Nuclear availability remains reduced at 6.7 GW with three reactors offline for planned annual maintenance, leaving five reactors online, the lowest such level since last spring's maintenance season, according to plant operator data.
Availability of coal and lignite plants was little changed on the day at 31 GW for Friday, EEX Transparency data showed.
Temperatures across Germany will remain above seasonal norms Friday before a short spell of colder weather with CustomWeather pegging Dusseldorf at 3 degrees Celsius above the April norm Friday, falling to 3 C below average by Sunday.
The weekend contract dropped Eur1.50 to Eur15/MWh, some Eur7 below last weekend's closing price, amid a fresh surge in wind above 10 GW forecast for the weekend.
The week-ahead contract was little changed at Eur22.75/MWh with wind seen around average levels and the Grohnde reactor scheduled to return from maintenance next Thursday, according to EEX transparency data.
