Wholesale electricity price levels rose over the past week, the average market clearing price rising by 4.76 percent compared to the previous week to 151.95 euros per MWh, with upper and lower levels reaching 218.35 and 80.16 euros per MWh, respectively.

The past week’s highest average market clearing price was recorded on March 2, reaching 160.60 euros per MWh.

During the same period, wholesale electricity price levels in other parts of Europe ranged from 136 to 195 euros per MWh, while prices yesterday ranged from 141 and 167 euros per MWh.

Electricity demand remained low, for this time of the year, while lower RES and hydropower unit output led to a slight increase in prices at the Hellenic Energy Exchange, according to an analysis by IENE, the Institute of Energy for Southeast Europe.

RES units averaged a daily output of 36 GWh for an energy-mix share of 29 percent over the past week, official data showed. RES output totaled 251 GWh for the week, an 11 percent reduction compared to a week earlier.

Hydropower facilities covered 2 percent of demand, injecting just 16 GWh into the grid, 14 percent less than a week earlier. Natural gas-fueled power stations generated 286 GWh over the past week, covering 33 percent of demand, while lignite-fired power stations produced 145 GWh to cover 17 percent of electricity demand.

Electricity demand remained virtually unchanged over the past week, at 897.131 MWh, compared to 897.306. It peaked at 138.128 MWh last Thursday, while the week’s low was recorded on February 27, at 107.471 MWh.

The low-voltage category, including households, represented 56 percent of electricity demand over the past week, the medium-voltage category represented 19 percent of demand, the high-voltage category, or energy-intensive industry, represented 17 percent, 5 percent concerned the Cretan grid, while electricity losses of 3 percent were also recorded.