A new heat wave is coming next week. The south of the country has not waited while temperatures will reach 38 degrees this week. On the price of electricity prices, this climate development is particularly visible: from an MWh to less than 19 euros on May 14 (below the year) it now exceeds 60 euros. A peak that brings the cost of French electricity closer to that in Germany.
The reasons are simple: On the one hand, households consume more, by connecting air conditioning to refresh their accommodation. On the other, nuclear power plants struggle to operate when temperatures are too highbecause of water from rivers and rivers that no longer allows reactors to cool enough. According to EXE data, the price of electricity in France in the long term has increased by 15 % since early August.
Read also heat wave: the most economical tips for surviving heat this summer
“Although these breakdowns are currently planned to be short -lived, they rekindle concerns about the availability of nuclear towards the end of the month and until September”said Florence Schmit, analyst at Rabobank, and quoted by Bloomberg. EDF alerted to its power plants along the Rhône valley, where temperatures will reach 37 degrees.
In Germany, the price of electricity remains much higher (the highest in Europe), due to its 50 % production from fossil combustion. But it is stable, at 87 euros per MWh, while temperatures were particularly low in July and the country does not depend on nuclear power plants. In the classification of electricity prices in the European Union, Denmark and Ireland then come.
Electricity: what changes for the French in August 2025
For households, electricity prices experienced an upheaval on August 1 with the new VAT of 20 % (instead of 5.5 %) applied to gas and electricity. The government has sought to ensure that this increase is compensated by a drop in expansion duties on energiesindirect taxes received on the sale or use of energy products (from 33.7 euros per MWh to 29.98 euros per MWh).
Most customers should therefore not feel a difference, unless they don’t consume a lot of electricity. Indeed, the fixed share impacted by the increase in VAT has more weight on the total than the variable part (linked to consumption and which is affected by the decrease in the excise).
What to remember from the increase in electricity prices because of heat in France:
- A heat wave increases electricity consumption and puts nuclear power plants in difficulty, leaping the price of MWh to France from 19 to more than 60 euros
- Nuclear production is slowed down because of high temperatures which reduce cooling capacity, in particular along the Rhône valley
- Since August 1, VAT on electricity has increased from 5.5 % to 20 %, but the government partially compensates for a drop in excise
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