PowerCast is your go-to podcast for everything energy – from the fast-moving world of wholesale markets to the intricacies of PPAs and the evolving landscape of battery optimisation. Whether you're an industry professional, energy enthusiast, or just curious about how power gets bought, sold, and stored, we break down the complexities and bring you insights from the frontlines of the energy transition. Tune in as we explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of power.
PowerCast: Energy Costs, Competitiveness and the UK Market
Energy prices have dominated headlines since the 2022 energy crisis. But while wholesale prices have eased at times, many businesses are still facing high and rising costs.
In this episode of PowerCast, we explore what is really driving energy bills today. From rising network and policy costs to the impact of long-term infrastructure investment, the conversation goes beyond wholesale markets to unpack the structural changes shaping the UK energy system.
Joined by EDF’s Director of Strategy and Policy, Josh Buckland, we discuss:
Why non-energy costs are becoming a bigger part of the bill
How falling demand and rising fixed costs are pushing prices higher
The UK’s competitiveness challenge compared to other countries
The impact of recent global events on price volatility
Crucially, we also explore what this means for businesses and what action can be taken now. From managing risk through contract choices and forecasting, to engaging in policy discussions and considering longer-term shifts such as electrification and flexibility, businesses have more options than they might think.
As the UK continues its transition to a low-carbon energy system, the balance between affordability, investment and competitiveness is becoming more complex. Understanding these changes is key to making informed commercial decisions.
This episode provides a clear, expert-led view of what is happening now, what’s driving costs, and how businesses can respond.
This episode marks the transition from PowerCast into Talking Power, following the coming together of EDF’s Wholesale Market Services and Business Solutions teams into EDF Business and Wholesale. The aim is to bring expertise from across markets, supply, flexibility, assets and data into one team to better support customers.
The discussion focuses on recent energy market volatility driven by escalating Middle East tensions and the risk to LNG flows via the Strait of Hormuz. This has led to a sharp rise in gas prices, with knock-on impacts to electricity prices, including near-daily swings of 10–25%.
Key insights:
Volatility is the defining feature
Gas prices have roughly doubled in weeks, with extreme intra-day movements.
Market reactions are being driven as much by sentiment and news as fundamentals.
Customer behaviour is split
Some customers are locking in prices for certainty.
Others are delaying decisions, hoping prices fall.
Large businesses are generally staying disciplined, sticking to hedging strategies.
Hedging and contracts matter more than ever
Customers already contracted are protected.
Those exposed to market timing face higher risk and complexity.
EDF’s role is execution and risk management
Rapid pricing, trading expertise, and market insight help customers act in volatile conditions.
High operational resilience during peak demand periods (April renewals + volatility).
Flexibility and optionality are critical
Range of products from fixed to flexible allows alignment with risk appetite.
Structured products reduce the need to “time the market.”
Beyond price: wider cost levers
Non-energy costs (e.g. balancing, CfD) can move differently to wholesale prices.
Data, metering, and consumption insights are key to managing total energy cost.
Strategic shift in energy management
Increasing focus on:
On-site generation (solar)
Batteries and flexibility
Demand shifting to avoid peak costs
These align with broader system trends where flexibility value rises with volatility
Energy markets are no longer just about price. The winners are those with strategy, flexibility, and access to real-time expertise.
14 Jan 2026
PowerCast: What 2026 holds for battery storage assets, with Ed Porter, Modo Energy
In this episode of PowerCast, David from EDF Wholesale Market Services is joined by Ed Porter from Modo Energy to explore what 2026 could mean for battery storage assets. The conversation looks at why battery revenues may increase, how demand growth from EVs, heat pumps and data centres is reshaping market dynamics, and why volatility, negative pricing and weather variability are becoming defining features of modern power markets. Ed shares insights from Modo Energy’s data and research on how investors and asset owners are adapting, from evolving contract structures and cost of capital pressures to the growing importance of co-location and new market mechanisms. Together, the discussion offers a clear, forward-looking view of how storage, renewables and market design are likely to evolve as the energy system continues to change at pace.
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