This is a first since December 2023: the benchmark price of gas will increase. The announcement was made by the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
Gas: an increase of 1.48 euros per megawatt hour
The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) announced an increase in 1.4% of the benchmark gas price which will be effective from May 1, 2024. The price per kilowatt hour excluding taxes for residential consumers connected to Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF) will thus increase to 0.0483 euros. This corresponds to an increase in 1.23 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) for domestic uses such as cooking and heating, and an increase of 1.48 euros per MWh including tax, or €111.19/MWh compared to €109.71 in April 2024.
These tariff adjustments are mainly motivated by a slight increase in prices on the international wholesale natural gas market, which had experienced a significant drop at the end of 2023. As CRE underlines, “ gas prices remain extremely volatile and are strongly influenced by supply costs and the international geopolitical situation “,
Use the benchmark price as a compass
As consumers adapt to a gas market without a regulated rate, understanding these fluctuations becomes essential. Indeed, the increase in the benchmark price, as mentioned above, directly concerns consumers who are served by Gaz Réseau Distribution France. Nevertheless, with the end of the regulated gas sales tariff (TRGV) since July 2023, other gas suppliers have free rein to set their own prices. And if this measure is supposed to encourage them to remain competitive, some of them could take advantage of it to increase their prices.
It is therefore very likely that this revaluation of the benchmark price will impact the bill of 10.6 million French gas subscribers. So stay vigilant and don’t hesitate to regularly compare the offers available on the market. As a reminder, the CRE recalculates the gas benchmark price every month.
