NORDIC POWER-Rises on drier forecast

* Forward prices up on drier weather outlook
* System price for Saturday seen at 20.9 euros/MWh

By Nerijus Adomaitis
OSLO, June 22 (Reuters) - Nordic benchmark power prices
rose on Friday on the prospect of drier and warmer weather after
weeks of wet.
The quarter-ahead contract for baseload (24 hours)
delivery was trading at 26.53 euros ($33.44) per megawatt-hour
(MWh) at 0930 (0730 GMT), 28 cents higher from Thursday's close.
The month ahead contract rose by 50 cents to 23
euros per MWh.
"We are finally seeing some drier and warmer weather
arriving after weeks of a wet period, and that moves prices up,"
an analyst at Point Carbon, a market analysis company of Thomson
Reuters said.
"But the weather situation remains very unstable," he added.
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute said
low-dominated and wet weather will continue, but it will
probably be somewhat drier in general in upcoming 6-10 days.
The Nordic region relies on hydro power for more than 50
percent of its electricity generation, and drier weather pushes
up prices.

SYSTEM PRICE
Point Carbon said it expected the Nordic system price to
fall to 20.9 euros per MWh for Saturday and 19.3 euros for
Sunday from 22.3 euros on Friday.
"There will be further reduction in consumption on Saturday
and slightly higher wind power output," an analyst at Point
Carbon said.
The system price was to come at 24.3 euros on Monday as
consumption was expected to rebound by about 2,700 megawatt (MW)
compared to Friday, he added.

OUTAGES
Swedish 590 MW nuclear reactor Oskarshamn-2 will be shut for
annual maintenance from Sunday till July 18, while the other
Swedish reactor, 850 MW Ringhals-1, was to be back on Monday.
($1 = 0.7933 euros)

(Editing by William Hardy)