PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - European electricity contracts for year-ahead delivery extended gains on Wednesday with the German Cal’19 setting a new record, buoyed by gains in coal, gas and carbon emissions prices, while day-ahead spot positions diverged.
* Germany’s year-ahead baseload contract, Europe’s benchmark, was up nearly 1 percent at 37.55 euros ($46.47) a megawatt-hour (MWh), its highest since the contract began trading in 2015.
* The less liquid French equivalent contract for 2019 , was up 0.72 percent at 42.25 euros/MWh, its highest level since May 2016.
* A trader said the contracts were lifted by stronger coal, gas and carbon emissions prices.
* Cif Europe coal for 2019 gained 0.5 percent to $80.50 a tonne.
* European carbon emissions rights for December 2018 expiry , which power generators must hold for their emissions, added 0.15 percent to 13.41 euros a tonne.
* In the day-ahead spot market, prices diverged on Wednesday as the German prompt contract plunged on a forecast rise in electricity generation from wind turbines, while the French spot was lifted by a fall in wind output.
* The German day-ahead baseload slumped nearly 15 percent to 28.25 euros/MWh.
* The French contract added 4.3 percent to 40 euros/MWh.
* German wind electricity supply is expected to increase to nearly 27 gigawatts (GW) on Thursday, compared with around 20 GW the previous day, one forecast published by Thomson Reuters showed.
* Wind power generation will fall in France by 1.2 GW to 1.3 GW during the same period, Thomson Reuters data showed.
* French nuclear generation availability was steady at 71 percent of the total capacity.
* On the demand side, French consumption will remain steady at around 54 GW on Thursday, while in Germany, consumption will dip slightly to 62.2 GW from 62.3 GW the previous day.
* Near-term week-ahead prices were a touch weaker, pressured by forecasts showing mild weather and increased hydro power generation, the trader said.
* The French Week 1 contract was down 25 cents at 34 euros/MWh. The German Week 1 position was also down 25 cents at 34.25 euros/MWh.
* In eastern Europe, Czech day-ahead spot, which tracks the German contract, fell over 17 percent to 29.20 euros/MWh. Czech year-ahead baseload was untraded. ($1 = 0.8081 euros) (Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by David Evans and Adrian Croft)