Negative electricity prices: a new structural challenge for producers

The year 2025 is already surpassing negative price records on the energy market. Bohr Energie analyzes the causes of this phenomenon and presents concrete solutions to help producers secure their income and better value their flexibility.

In 2025, the negative price trend is increasing

Following the survey we conducted on our LinkedIn account last March (“How many negative prices do you expect in 2025?”), the question of negative price trends was already arousing strong reactions. Since then, the numbers have been in: As of May 12, 2025, France already had 158 hours of negative prices, surpassing the total recorded over the same period in 2024. A strong signal, which confirms a fundamental trend and calls for the rapid mobilization of market players.

This rapid evolution raises questions as much as it worries: how can we explain such an acceleration? What are the concrete impacts for producers? And above all, what solutions allow them today to secure their income in the face of a structural phenomenon that is likely to continue?

Understanding negative prices: a market imbalance

A negative price on the electricity market means that producers have to pay to put their production into the grid. This happens when there is an excess of supply over demand, in a system where storage capacities are still limited and demand adjustment mechanisms are poorly developed.

Several factors explain these growing imbalances: a continuous rise in renewable energies (especially solar), insufficient storage, rigid consumption, and a system that is still not very responsive to market signals.

A dynamic that is accelerating

In the space of five months, 2025 has already exceeded the level reached on the same date in 2024. This evolution takes place in a relatively stable climate and economic context, which suggests a structural transformation in the functioning of the electricity market.

These signals indicate that negative price episodes are no longer an exception, but tend to become regular components of the functioning of the European market.

Concrete impacts for producers

For producers, this market evolution has direct and sometimes serious consequences:

• An erosion of income linked to the sale of electricity at a loss or at zero prices.
• An increasing difficulty in planning investments on a predictable basis.
• Technical choices to be made, such as stopping production temporarily, when possible.
• The need to incorporate flexibility mechanisms into their economic model.

Without appropriate solutions, these situations could weaken the business models of producers, especially those strongly committed to renewable energies.

Bohr Energie : concrete solutions for action

Chez Bohr Energie, we support producers to help them adapt effectively to this new market reality. Our expertise is based on four strategic levers:

1. Anticipate periods of negative prices
Using analysis and forecasting tools, we identify critical periods in order to adjust production plans or optimize sales in the right market segments.

2. Valuing the flexibilityEven partial, any capacity for adjustment is now a source of value. Shutdown, storage, deletion or controlled offloading: we put in place the appropriate devices to maximize the potential for flexibility.

3. Securing revenue through aggregation
As an aggregator, we combine production capacities in order to optimize global marketing. This makes it possible to limit individual exposure to negative price risks and to access complementary markets (capacity, reserve, adjustment).

4. Optimizing the sales strategy
With each client, we define a tailor-made valuation mix between spot market, PPA, guaranteed price contracts or flexibility. The objective: to reconcile efficiency, safety and responsiveness.

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Conclusion

The increase in negative prices in 2025 is not just a cyclical accident. It reflects a profound transformation of the European electricity system. This trend is set to increase with the massive development of renewable energies.

Faced with this new paradigm, producers must equip themselves with tools, partners and solutions capable of responding to this volatility. Bohr Energie is mobilized to offer this expertise and support the transition to a smarter, more flexible and more profitable production model.

To learn more about this subject, you can also find our publication on LinkedIn and discover the reactions of our community.

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