ERRA Regulatory Story of the Quarter: Price Zero, Or Less, For 17 Hours In A Row: “Happy Hours” For Electricity in France

While everyone is anxiously awaiting expert conclusions on the Iberian Peninsula blackout of April 28^th, 2025, "the first blackout of the renewable era" as it has been rightly observed, France experienced on June 5^th, 2025, another completely special event of the power system. Despite being a normal working day, the day-ahead market recorded electricity prices in France equal to zero or slightly negative for a full row of 17 consecutive hours, marking an unprecedented record for the duration of this phenomenon, which signals a production surplus.

While the Iberic peninsula blackout has been widely discussed and will rightfully continue to be discussed at length and in depth, the French event –  which is substantially the opposite of a blackout! – has been discussed very little, indeed it has been completely forgotten by the press. Moreover, it doesn't even have a name: one could call it the "happy hour" of electricity, since the good was super-available, so much so that it could be sold at zero price or even you could be paid to buy it. 

Read more in the latest ERRA Regulatory Story of the Quarter by Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) of France by downloading the document below.