Europe is bracing for energy shortages this week as freezing weather is set to boost demand at a time supply just can’t keep up. Temperatures are forecast to fall below zero degrees Celsius in several European capitals this week, straining electricity grids already coping with low wind speeds and severe nuclear outages in France. To make matters worse, Russia signaled it intends to keep natural gas flows through a major transit route to Germany limited on Monday after capping supplies over the weekend. Energy prices have spiraled out of control this year, with European gas prices surging some 600%. As temperatures are forecast to briefly dip below seasonal norms at the start of the week, short-term electricity prices surged. In France, power for delivery on Monday rallied to the highest level since a rare spike in 2009, while Germany prices were the third highest on record. Rising prices have […]