Patryk Jaki· ECR

Nuanced

When the ETS was introduced, the average wholesale electricity price in Europe was EUR 30-40 per MWh. Today it is EUR 85, i.e., over 100% more.

Omissions

• The claim uses 'today' (March 2026) but prices in early 2026 had decreased significantly from 2022 peaks; 85 EUR/MWh appears to reference 2022-2023 crisis levels rather than March 2026 prices
• The 30-40 EUR/MWh figure for 2005 is slightly underestimated - actual prices were closer to 30-50 EUR/MWh depending on the market
• The claim does not specify which European market is being referenced (German, French, EU average) - prices vary significantly by country
• The speaker could not have known March 2026 prices at the time of the speech (March 25, 2026) as this data would not yet be available

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission - Review and analysis of EU wholesale energy markets (2008)Average spot prices in European power markets were around 30 EUR/MWh in 2005, rising to nearly 30 EUR/MWh during Q2-Q3 2006
• AcademicOxford Institute for Energy Studies - Fossil fuel shocks and European electricity pricesGerman wholesale electricity prices more than doubled between 2002 and 2006 as fuel prices rose and EU ETS was introduced
• SecondaryEmber - European Wholesale Electricity Price DataDataset contains historical wholesale day-ahead electricity prices for European countries showing significant variation across markets and time periods