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EDF sold excess power on Sunday, forced to buy back on intraday market

Published by Uma Rajagopal

Posted on December 5, 2022

2 min read

· Last updated: February 2, 2026

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High-tension power lines near Golfech nuclear plant, illustrating EDF's power market incident - Global Banking & Finance Review
This image shows high-tension electrical power lines near the Golfech nuclear plant in France. It relates to EDF's recent operational incident involving the sale and buyback of excess power on day-ahead and intraday markets.
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PARIS (Reuters) -Nuclear operator EDF said in an online note that it accidentally sold 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of excess power on the day-ahead market on Sunday, requiring the company to buy back electricity contracts on the intraday market on Monday. “As a consequence, actions might be initiated by EDF Trading to rebalance its intraday position […]

PARIS (Reuters) -Nuclear operator EDF said in an online note that it accidentally sold 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of excess power on the day-ahead market on Sunday, requiring the company to buy back electricity contracts on the intraday market on Monday.

“As a consequence, actions might be initiated by EDF Trading to rebalance its intraday position for the delivery day of December 12,” the operator said in the note.

EDF confirmed to Reuters on Monday that an “operational incident” occurred on Dec. 4 and said they have no further comment.

Intraday markets enable producers and consumers to balance positions in close to real time, where energy can be traded up to five minutes ahead of delivery, as opposed to day-ahead trading, where prices are balanced beforehand on a supply-demand curve.

If EDF bought at the highs of the intraday market today it would have had to pay a premium of about 100 euros ($105.53) per megawatt hour (MWh) versus the day-ahead price yesterday, said Emeric de Vigan, vice president of power at data and analytics firm Kpler.

That equates to a premium of roughly 150,000 euros on the amount of power it sold.

It is “always difficult to know exactly, as it depends on when they bought”, he added.

($1 = 0.9476 euros)

(Reporting by Forrest CrellinEditing by Jason Neely and David Goodman)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is excess power?
Excess power refers to the surplus electricity generated beyond the immediate consumption needs, which can be sold in energy markets.
What is the intraday market?
The intraday market is a platform where electricity can be traded close to real-time, allowing producers and consumers to adjust their positions up to five minutes before delivery.
What is a megawatt hour (MWh)?
A megawatt hour (MWh) is a unit of energy equivalent to one megawatt of power used for one hour, commonly used to measure electricity production and consumption.
What is an operational incident?
An operational incident refers to an unexpected event that disrupts normal operations, potentially leading to financial implications or the need for corrective actions.

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