(Bloomberg) -- Power prices across Europe soared as a slump in wind generation forced nations to fall back on fossil fuels.

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The Polish grid PSE triggered a so-called state of emergency on the power capacity market on Wednesday. Slumping wind generation in the UK means the nation is relying on power generation from gas, which is at its highest level since November 2023, according to data from Elexon.

German power prices for the tightest hours on Wednesday rose to the highest level since the peak of the energy crisis. The tight conditions, driven by a reliance on renewables on a day with low wind levels, come despite temperatures in much of northwest Europe being above the 30-year average, according to Weather Services International.

Slumping wind generation stoked demand for gas to produce electricity, supporting fuel prices earlier this week.

Some countries even had to boost usage of winter gas inventories to meet the demand, with a net withdrawal from the European Union’s overall inventory exceeding 2 terawatt-hours on Monday, according to the most recent data from Gas Infrastructure Europe. That’s the biggest withdrawal since the start of this heating season.

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