MADRID, 11 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The average price of electricity for regulated rate customers linked to the wholesale market will drop this Monday by 40.6% compared to this Sunday, to 130.24 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), which will mean the lowest price so far in December.

In the auction, the average price of light in the wholesale market -the so-called ‘pool’- stands for this Monday at 114.51 euros/MWh. Thus, the maximum price will be recorded between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with 148.92 euros/MWh, while the minimum for the day, of 89.60 euros/MWh, will be between 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., according to provisional data from the Iberian Energy Market Operator (OMIE) collected by Europa Press.

To this ‘pool’ price is added the compensation to the gas companies that must be paid by consumers who are beneficiaries of the measure, consumers of the regulated tariff (PVPC) or those who, despite being on the free market, have an indexed rate, which will be 15.73 euros/MWh.

In the absence of the ‘Iberian exception’ mechanism to cap the price of gas for electricity generation, the price of electricity in Spain would be on average around 276.13 euros/MWh, which means 145.89 euros/MWh more. than with compensation for regulated rate customers, who will thus pay 52.8% less on average.

The ‘Iberian mechanism’, which came into force on June 15, limits the price of gas for electricity generation to an average of 48.8 euros per MWh for a period of twelve months, thus covering next winter, a period in which energy prices are more expensive.

Specifically, the ‘Iberian exception’ sets a path for natural gas for electricity generation from a price of 40 euros/MWh in the initial six months –until December 15–, and subsequently, a monthly increase of five euros/MWh until the end of the measure.