Electricity demand in France is rising as the country grapples with a heatwave and record-high temperatures.
Meteo-France said on Thursday that the country "is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave for May, particularly in the west," with temperatures exceeding average levels by at least 15 degrees Celsius this week.
Weather conditions sometimes resemble a heatwave, it said.
This month, the hottest day was recorded on May 26, while record-high temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius were seen in some areas on May 28, according to the weather service.
In Paris, temperatures exceeded 32 degrees Celsius for more than eight consecutive days in May, Meteo-France noted, something that has only ever happened previously in 1947, 1976 and 2003.
With higher cooling demand, France's power consumption is expected to exceed 52 gigawatts at 1 p.m. local time on Friday, up compared with 48 GW consumed last week during the same time, according to RTE data.
On Thursday, power demand at 1 p.m. was about 51 GW, higher than the previous week's 48 GW. Consumption exceeded 52 GW at around 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Electricity prices in the country fluctuated on the same day, with the gap between the cheapest and most expensive hour at about 160 euros per megawatt-hour, Bloomberg reported, citing data from the Epex Spot SE exchange.
The weather pattern raises concerns over Europe's ability to adjust to a warming climate, Bloomberg said, considering that more heat waves and even hotter temperatures may occur as summer season progresses.
Spain is also experiencing extremely hot weather, according to AEMET, as cited by the news agency, with temperatures potentially reaching 38 degrees Celsius in some areas.
In Germany, Bloomberg noted that intermittent solar output led to sharp swings in electricity prices, from almost zero at noon to about 400 euros/MWh at night, based on data from the Fraunhofer Institute.
Price volatility occurs when solar power sources are replaced by more expensive gas- and coal-fired power plants in the evening.