CEE POWER-Cold spell, less wind drive spot prices higher
* Polish utilities to have 4.2 GW offline on Friday
* Wind generation forecast at 3 GW
* Gazprom agrees to Serbian gas price cut
PRAGUE, March 27 (Reuters) - Lingering cold weather with temperatures hovering around freezing and a fall in renewable production in the region sent central European power prices sharply higher on Wednesday.
On regional exchanges, Czech and Slovak day ahead jumped nearly 21 percent to 49.59 euros ($63.77) per megawatt hour while Hungarian prompt power rose nearly 22 percent to 50.53 euros as the unseasonable cold weather was forecast to last at least through the weekend.
The three countries linked their day ahead markets last September, though since then Hungarian prices have often diverged above those in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Czech day ahead in the over-the-counter market rose to 48.75 euros, representing about a 75-cent discount to neighbouring Germany. Slovak and Hungary over-the-counter day ahead rose to 48.50 euros and 49 euros, respectively.
Data from Thomson Reuters Point Carbon showed forecasts for wind generation in Germany falling by nearly half to 2.9 GW and solar production at 4.5 GW.
The lower wind forecast most heavily impacted the day ahead price in hour 20 in all three countries when it traded for 108.40 euros, pulling up the average baseload and peakload prices.
"Wind power is expected to decrease around 3 GW on average tomorrow compared to what is forecast for today," Point Carbon analysts wrote.
Further along the curve, the Czech Cal '14 rose 10 cents to 40.90 euros in afternoon trade on the Prague-based Power Exchange Central Europe as gas, carbon and oil gained.
Around the region, the benchmark German Cal '14 contract fell 1 cent to 41.50 euros on Germany's EEX exchange in afternoon trade.
Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom
has agreed to a 13 percent cut in the price of natural gas it sells to Serbian gas monopoly Srbijagas through 2021, Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said.
Western Europe can expect colder-than-normal temperatures extending from April through June, Weather Services International (WSI) said, following a late blast of winter cold that sent UK gas prices towards record highs.
Poland's utilities will have 4.2 gigawatts of power offline for planned maintenance on Friday, data from grid operator PSE showed.
Day ahead on Poland's POLPX exchange rose to 172.62 zlotys ($53.13) from 166.20 zlotys.
Oil eased towards $109 a barrel on Wednesday, pressured by rising fuel stockpiles in top consumer the United States and festering worries over the euro zone.
The benchmark contract for European Union carbon futures
rose more than 3 percent to 4.77 euros a tonne in afternoon trade. ($1 = 0.7777 euros) ($1 = 3.2493 Polish zlotys)
(Reporting by Michael Kahn; editing by James Jukwey)
((michael.kahn@thomsonreuters.com)(+420 224 190 443)(Reuters Messaging: michael.kahn.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: MARKETS CEE/ELECTRICITY