The average electricity price for regulated-rate customers tied to the wholesale market shows a notable shift this weekend, with an expected rise of 15.35% to reach as much as 252.09 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) on Saturday, compared to Friday. This figure comes from provisional data gathered by the Iberian Energy Market Operator (OMIE) and is reported by Europa Press. For households on the PVPC option, the price movement reflects a combination of the wholesale market’s average auction price and the additional compensation that demand will pay to combined cycle power plants to apply the Iberian exemption, a measure designed to cap gas-related costs in electricity generation.
In the wholesale market, often referred to as the pool, the Saturday average price settled at 155.99 euros per MWh. Market behavior shows volatility with a peak of 221.10 euros per MWh occurring in the day’s final hour, while the lowest point was 139.87 euros per MWh between 18:00 and 19:00. This sampling illustrates how daily consumption, demand patterns, and generator mix interact with regulatory mechanisms to shape the price residents pay at the meter. The pool price serves as a reference, but the final bill for PVPC customers is adjusted by the compensation framework put in place to moderate the impact of gas costs on electricity generation when the Iberian exemption is activated.
The stated price, including the 96.10 euro per MWh compensation, is added to the basic PVPC charges and to the costs payable by customers benefiting from the measure, including those under the regulated PVPC regime or those on an indexed rate within the free market. This structure demonstrates how regulatory interventions can influence the total amount billed to end users, especially during periods of higher gas or wholesale prices. While the pool represents the day-to-day wholesale price, the compensation mechanism offsets a portion of gas-related price pressure, aiming to keep household electricity bills more predictable for families and small businesses alike.