The average price of electricity for this Thursday, May 21, 2026 is 57.75 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in the wholesale market, according to data published by the Iberian Energy Market Operator (OMIE). This is the second consecutive increase so far this week, although a very small one, becoming only 3.08% more expensive compared to Wednesday. Specifically, you pay 1.72 euros more for the ‘pool’.
It is worth remembering that this amount refers to the wholesale market, which does not include items such as taxes or tolls. These are only included in the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), which is the one that affects consumers with a regulated or indexed rate in the free market and is published late in the afternoon by Red Eléctrica.
The price of electricity today, Friday, May 22, 2026 in the PVPC increases with several bands that exceed 200 euros
The price of electricity on Friday, May 22, drops slightly but 6 strips still exceed 100 euros
When is electricity cheaper this Thursday?
The cheapest hour of electricity will be from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a price of -0.50 euros/MWh. The cheapest slots will begin again in the morning and will continue until mid-afternoon, so consumers will have no problem taking advantage of them.
When is electricity most expensive tomorrow, Thursday?
The maximum price of electricity will occur between 9 and 10 p.m., when 123.20 euros/MWh will be reached. The most expensive hours of electricity, as has already happened on other days of the week, occur staggered throughout the day, mainly early in the day and towards the end of the afternoon until night.
Price of electricity by hour, Thursday, May 21
The new increase will force consumers to adjust consumption according to the evolution of electricity throughout the day. This will be the price of electricity hour by hour on Thursday, May 21, 2026 in the wholesale market:
| Hour | Price (euros/MWh) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 – 01:00 | 112.19 |
| 01:00 – 02:00 | 99.31 |
| 02:00 – 03:00 | 96.02 |
| 03:00 – 04:00 | 87.24 |
| 04:00 – 05:00 | 83.04 |
| 05:00 – 06:00 | 92.52 |
| 06:00 – 07:00 | 97.39 |
| 07:00 – 08:00 | 106.25 |
| 08:00 – 09:00 | 78.36 |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | 15.13 |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | 0.00 |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | -0.02 |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | -0.20 |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | -0.31 |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | -0.50 |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | -0.50 |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | -0.27 |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | -0.02 |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | 8.24 |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | 62.52 |
| 20:00 – 21:00 | 103.20 |
| 21:00 – 22:00 | 123.20 |
| 22:00 – 23:00 | 119.55 |
| 23:00 – 24:00 | 103.73 |
Evolution of the price of electricity in these 21 days of May
The average price during these first 21 days of May has been 54.05 euros/MWh, which means that electricity is now 34.70 euros more expensive than compared to a year ago, when the average price was €19.35/MWh.
If today’s day is compared to just a year ago, a significant increase of 186.06% can be seen. It is so because on May 21, 2025 The price of electricity stood at €20.19/MWh, while the price today stands at €57.75/MWh, which represents an increase of €37.56 compared to the same date last year.
| Date | 2025 | 2026 | Difference in euros/MWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 13.29 | 57.87 | 44.58 |
| May 2 | 10.94 | 43.64 | 32.70 |
| May 3 | 16,17 | 48.13 | 31.96 |
| May 4 | 11 | 69.71 | 58.71 |
| May 5 | 10.89 | 64.34 | 53.45 |
| May 6 | 10.24 | 78.02 | 67.78 |
| May 7 | 19.01 | 86.90 | 67.89 |
| May 8 | 16.76 | 64.69 | 47.92 |
| May 9 | 18.24 | 33.80 | 15.56 |
| May 10 | 9.08 | 20.84 | 11.76 |
| May 11 | 96.94 | 50.66 | -46.28 |
| May 12 | 21.69 | 69.23 | 47.54 |
| May 13 | 41.42 | 48.26 | 6.84 |
| May 14 | 30.55 | 53.34 | -22.79 |
| May 15 | 11.62 | 37.73 | 26.11 |
| May 16 | 4.68 | 41.78 | 37.10 |
| May 17 | 10.64 | 45.82 | 35.18 |
| May 18 | 6.76 | 60.72 | 53.96 |
| May 19 | 12.85 | 45.85 | 33 |
| May 20 | 13.41 | 56.03 | 42.62 |
| May 21 | 20.19 | 57.75 | 37.56 |
THE OCU warns that eliminating the regulated rate would be “a hasty decision”
As we have anticipated, these amounts refer to the wholesale market, which is the “factory” price of electricity. For its part, the PVPC is the “public sale” price, which is regulated by the Government. Regarding the latter, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has launched a notice, warning that the elimination of the regulated electricity tariff, proposed by the European Commission, is “a hasty decision, since the current electricity market is not very transparent, which prevents real competition.”
In a statement, the OCU considers that, although the free market offers the cheapest rates, most are currently “quite more expensive” than the regulated rate. Thus, it estimates that compared to a cost of 708 euros per year for the regulated PVPC tariff for a home with 4.6 kilowatts (kW) of power and an annual consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours (kWh), the best free tariff adds up to 659 euros/year and the worst 1,027 euros/year, which represents a difference between the best and the worst tariff, both free, of 368 euros per year.
For this reason, it defends that eliminating the regulated rate means “exposing its eight million customers to a 15% increase in the price of their bill, which is the average extra cost of free rates.”