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🇩🇰 Denmark /Energy & Infrastructure

August becomes Denmark’s most expensive month for electricity since 2022

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Outcome reported
  • Denmark’s average wholesale electricity price reached 1.2 kroner per kilowatt-hour in August, making it the highest monthly average since 2022.
  • Energy company OK attributed the increase to Middle East tensions, heatwaves in Europe and reduced nuclear capacity caused by low river levels.
  • Prices also fell during some midday weekend hours as solar and wind power increased supply.

August delivered an unusually expensive electricity bill for Denmark, with the average pure electricity price reaching 1.2 kroner per kilowatt-hour. Energy company OK said the month became the costliest since 2022.

Troels Skipper, OK’s commercial director, linked the rise to several pressures arriving at once. He cited geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, extreme summer heatwaves across Europe and nuclear power plants operating at reduced capacity because low river levels limited the water available to cool them.

The unusually high electricity price in August is the result of a powerful combination of geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, this summer’s extreme heatwaves in Europe and nuclear power plants operating at reduced capacity because of low water levels in the rivers that cool the plants.

— Troels SkipperOK’s commercial director explained the factors behind August’s high electricity prices.

Electricity prices had already run higher than usual during the summer. June had been the most expensive summer month in four years at the time, with broadly similar explanations offered for the increase.

The high electricity price in August is another example of why electricity customers, particularly those with electric cars, should keep an eye on prices and plan their consumption.

— Troels SkipperSkipper advised customers to shift consumption toward cheaper hours.

The monthly average did not mean prices stayed high at every hour. OK said solar and wind generation pushed prices down, particularly around midday on weekends. Skipper urged electricity customers, especially electric-car owners, to watch hourly prices and adjust consumption accordingly.

He also argued against fixed-price electricity contracts, saying customers could usually cut their bills by following market prices and using electricity during cheaper periods. “For customers, it is generally a very expensive proposition,” he said. “With an electricity agreement that follows the electricity price, customers have very good opportunities to give themselves a low electricity bill by taking advantage of the hours when the electricity price is low.”

For customers, it is generally a very expensive proposition.

— Troels SkipperHe criticized fixed-price electricity agreements.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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