Southeast European electricity markets recorded a broad rebound on 19 May 2026, with price recovery across the Balkans and Hungary following softer weekend dynamics. Regional consumption increased sharply, while cross-border imports into the SEE system rose to above 835 MW net. The move coincided with higher demand levels across the region.
Balkan market gains outpace regional benchmarks
The largest daily changes were concentrated in lower-priced Balkan markets. Serbia’s SEEPEX prices rose by almost 41% day-on-day to EUR 123.23/MWh. Montenegro’s BELEN market increased by 24.6% to EUR 108.84/MWh, while North Macedonia’s MEMO climbed 26.3% to EUR 113.22/MWh.
Albania’s ALPEX recovered to EUR 77.29/MWh, remaining the lowest-priced market in the region despite the increase. In Hungary, HUPX stayed as the regional pricing anchor at EUR 141.79/MWh, only marginally lower day-on-day. Romanian OPCOM closed at EUR 142.69/MWh, maintaining full correlation with Hungarian pricing.
Central European coupling remains near EUR 140/MWh
Slovenia’s BSP and Croatia’s CROPEX remained tightly coupled with Central European fundamentals around EUR 140/MWh. This reflected continued alignment between SEE pricing and core continental market conditions. The rebound therefore showed both stronger Balkan moves and steadier pricing in the Central European-linked segment.
Demand surge and higher SEE-Hungary imports drive the move
The rebound was linked to a major increase in system demand. Regional consumption reached 28,647 MW, up by almost 1,500 MW from the previous day. Imports into the SEE-Hungary balancing area rose by more than 1 GW day-on-day.
The import pattern also highlighted continued reliance on Central European balancing capacity. Core inflows from Austria and Slovakia toward Hungary and Southeast Europe increased to more than 1,065 MW. This structure remained a key feature of cross-border flows during periods of volatile renewable output.
Solar recovery offsets wind weakness; evening spikes persist
Renewable generation shifted materially during the session. Solar production recovered strongly to 5,710 MW, rising by almost 945 MW day-on-day, partially offsetting a sharp wind decline. Wind generation fell by more than 700 MW to 2,033 MW.
The divergence between solar and wind output continued to shape spring volatility in SEE markets. Solar dominance during midday hours suppressed intraday pricing, while weak evening wind conditions contributed to steep ramp pricing between 19:00–22:00 CET. Hourly curves across HUPX, BSP, OPCOM and HENEX showed evening price spikes above EUR 230–260/MWh.
Hydro strengthens; coal and gas rise together