In April, day-ahead baseload electricity prices displayed notable divergence across the region. Central European markets, including Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia, reported prices ranging from €96 to €103 per megawatt-hour (MWh). In contrast, southeastern markets such as Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania maintained lower price levels between €75 and €85/MWh. Serbia emerged as a focal point of volatility, with prices surging to €96.75/MWh, marking an increase of €14.3/MWh despite a generally softer regional market.
This pricing inconsistency is attributed to localized congestion and varying access to imports within the region. Specifically, the Serbia-Croatia corridor experienced tighter cross-border allocation during peak hours, exacerbating the price disparities across neighboring markets.
April’s demand figures reveal a robust consumption level of 28,328 megawatts (MW), which represents an increase of 1,058 MW day-on-day. This growth indicates that electricity load is increasingly driven by industrial activity and structural demand rather than seasonal temperature fluctuations.
On the supply side, total generation capacity reached 27,624 MW in April, up by 3,014 MW compared to previous figures. Notably, hydroelectric power generation contributed significantly at 6,252 MW—an increase of 1,001 MW—while solar energy output rose to 5,174 MW, reflecting a gain of 557 MW. Tracking data indicates that midday solar penetration surpassed 20% of the regional supply during this period, which has intensified intraday imbalances.
Despite the increase in overall generation capacity, market prices remained elevated in constrained areas. This trend underscores a critical shift in the Southeast European power markets where system flexibility has become the primary constraint rather than sheer supply availability. As these markets evolve further into this fragmented structure, stakeholders must adapt to the new realities shaped by renewable energy integration and regional interdependencies.
