Wholesale markets: 476 TWh traded in the second quarter of 2026
Published on 15 July 2026, the CRE's bulletin notes a 21% fall over the quarter but a 4% rise year on year, following the end of ARENH.
On 15 July 2026, the French Energy Regulatory Commission published its quarterly bulletin on wholesale electricity market activity for the second quarter of 2026.
As part of its monitoring remit, the CRE draws in particular on data reported by market participants under the REMIT regulation. The publication of these indicators aims to strengthen transparency, particularly since the end of the regulated access to incumbent nuclear electricity scheme (ARENH) on 1 January 2026.
After a particularly active start to the year, the second quarter marks a slight fall compared with the first: 476 TWh traded, i.e. -21%. Volumes nevertheless continue to grow year on year, with +4% compared with the second quarter of 2025.
Activity in June was particularly strong. Volumes traded on longer-dated maturities increased sharply, making up for the low activity observed at the start of the year, while remaining limited at this stage.
By way of example, trading for the Y+4 maturity rose from 1.1 TWh in the first quarter of 2026 to 1.8 TWh in the second, an increase of 63.6%.