Daily Energy Market Report & Business Rates | Smart Energy Co

⚡ Business Energy Snapshot – 30 April 2025

Your plain-English daily summary of UK wholesale gas, power, and oil prices — and what it means for your next energy contract.

✅ Key Takeaways

• 🔻 Gas dipped below 77p/therm — closing at 76.67p/therm
• 📉 Power prices followed suit, closing at £78.51/MWh
• 🇷🇺 Russia announced a temporary ceasefire — potentially a step toward de-escalation
• 🌡️ Warm weather continues to suppress demand across Europe
• 📦 Month-ahead gas and power prices fell again — potential opportunity for fixed contracts

📊 Wholesale Price Benchmarks

✅ = Price drop (better for fixing)
❌ = Price increase (may raise renewal costs)

📅 Month-Ahead Prices – May 2025 Contracts

💡 Why Month-Ahead Prices Matter

Month-ahead pricing reflects wholesale rates for the upcoming month’s usage. It’s commonly used by suppliers when pricing fixed-term energy deals — which means a drop here often leads to cheaper contract quotes.

📉 When they fall, it's typically a good time to lock in your renewal rate.

📈 How Do Today’s Prices Compare to the Last 6 Months?

Gas and power prices are now over 20% lower than a month ago, and more than 10% down in the past week alone. These drops reflect:

• ✅ Warm weather suppressing demand
• ✅ High storage injection rates
• ⚠️ Trade war and global recession fears
• ❗ Uncertainty around Russia-Ukraine tensions

🌍 What’s Driving the Market?

🔹 Gas Market Insights

• NBP front-month gas: 76.67p/therm
• TTF front-month gas: €31.86/MWh
• Kremlin announced a temporary May ceasefire — potential step toward peace
• Gas demand stays weak due to UK temps 4–5°C above normal
• UK system is short today despite low demand due to reduced Norwegian flows
• EU storage now at 38.41%, up nearly 2% week-on-week
• Summer maintenance at Gassco expected to take up to 100mcm offline in May
• Asian LNG markets are gaining appeal for exporters, reducing Europe's access

📉 Gas is trending down, but tight supply or surprise events could reverse this quickly.

🔹 Power Market Insights

• UK Day-Ahead Power: £78.51/MWh
• Power closely following gas movements
• National outage in Spain affects Iberia — linked to French grid disconnection
• Mild weather + strong solar = lower prices
• Wind forecasts low, increasing gas-for-power reliance
• Forecast shows return to seasonal temps by early May

🔌 Power is volatile short term. Lower gas prices and weather conditions are keeping prices in check — for now.

🔹 Oil Market Summary

• Brent crude: $64.25/bbl (▼ 2.4%)
• Global demand hit by U.S.–China trade war
• China imposed retaliatory tariffs — slowing oil demand
• Iran/U.S. nuclear talks continue, but oil remains under pressure
• OPEC+ preparing for possible output increases in May

🛢️ Expect more turbulence — oil trends often lead broader commodity market shifts.

📆 Contract Advice Based on Your Renewal Timeline

📞 Lock In a Fixed Energy Quote While Rates Remain Low

Don’t leave your business exposed to market volatility.
Speak to The Smart Energy Company for expert advice and a no-obligation fixed-term quote from over 28 trusted suppliers.

📞 Call us: 0151 459 3358
📧 Email:   info@smart-energy.uk

✅ Final Thoughts from The Smart Energy Company

• ✅ Gas and power prices are more than 20% cheaper than a month ago
• 📉 These could be some of the best rates we’ll see this quarter
• ⚠️ But global headlines (like tariffs, war, or outages) could flip the market
• 🔒 If your contract ends this year, now’s the time to check your options