Europe had never known such a situation.
Gas prices hit record highs on European markets on Wednesday.
The European benchmark price, the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF), climbed 16.36% to 135.00 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) around 10:10 GMT.
The price of British gas for delivery next month, meanwhile, jumped 18.15% to 347.27 pence per therm (a unit quantity of heat).
The two markets temporarily posted gains above 25% and reached 162.12 euros and 407.82 pence respectively shortly before 08:30 GMT, a record.
"The current surge in energy prices in Europe is truly unique", reacted analysts at Societe Generale, "never before have energy prices risen so high and so quickly".
Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch sees this very sharp acceleration in prices as a "movement of panic and fear" in the face of low stocks as winter approaches in the northern hemisphere.
Shortages linked to the limitation of coal mining
Most market observers also point to Asian demand, particularly from China.
The environmental constraints limiting the exploitation of coal have indeed led to serious energy shortages, putting some factories in slow motion, and a sudden shift in demand for gas at the worst moment for Europe, which is about to enter the market. Winter.
ING analysts add a set of factors made up of "high electricity prices, a limited supply from Russia and the possibility of a colder winter".
According to experts at Capital Economics, prices "are likely to remain high by past standards" in the medium term.
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