Energy Newsletter

European gas prices have more than doubled from €30/MWh (Sept 2025) to €81/MWh (Sept 2026); Germany is storing gas at below 50% capacity. Storage scarcity, Hormuz blockade, and LNG bottlenecks are driving electricity prices above €180/MWh for January 2027, severely burdening industry and households.

Coordinated physical attacks on critical power infrastructure: 4,200 MW of RWE capacity in North Rhine-Westphalia taken offline, sabotage suspected at Amprion and 50Hertz. The attacks hit the power grid at a critical moment of high import dependency and storage bottlenecks.

Germany generates 83.7% of electricity from renewables (wind, solar, biomass), wind energy is the strongest source; but lack of large-scale storage (planned from 2027/2028) and network bottlenecks in 110-kV grids limit integration. The gap between renewable generation and storage capacity exacerbates price spikes during periods of low wind and solar.

RWE raises its stake in transmission system operator Amprion to 58% and closes strategic deal with it. Market concentration in electricity generation, grid infrastructure, and hydrogen (REFHYNE 2) is increasing, while critical grid expansion measures are delayed.

EnBW opens 960 MW offshore wind farm (largest in Germany), EnBW is building 400 MW/800 MWh battery storage in Philippsburg. The large-scale storage wave (2027–2028) is intended to bring Germany to over 75% renewables, but commissioning is being delayed.