FRANKFURT, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Power forwards in the European wholesale market soared on Friday on concern around Russian gas supplies as well as higher oil and carbon prices.

Russian gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany have remained low since cuts on July 27, driving up prices and causing a precarious situation for importers, with Germany hurrying through legislation to help companies via an end-customer levy.

"The gas crisis in Europe shows little sign of abating anytime soon, and Germany is at the heart of it," said analysts Jefferies.

German baseload power for 2023 delivery at 1145 GMT was off 0.7% at 403 euros ($412.47) a megawatt hour (MWh), having revisited an Aug. 4 closing high of 407 euros earlier, while a number of German quarterly supply contracts were at records.

The equivalent French position had not changed hands after closing at a record high of 525.5 euros, although the untraded bid-ask range was higher.

European CO2 allowances for December 2022 expiry climbed 0.8% to 84.86 euros a tonne.

Spot power for Monday was untraded in both countries, but prices looked set to fall on lower demand and more solar availability.

Usage in Germany should stand at 52.8 gigawatts (GW) on Monday, down 2.6 GW from Friday, and at 41.7 GW in France, down 1.7 GW, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.

Water levels on the Rhine continue to fall, raising costs and curtailing shipments.

Similar problems are evident on the Garonne and Rhone in France and on the Aare in Switzerland.

French nuclear regulator ASN approved a request to modify thermal discharge limits at the Bugey, Saint Alban, Tricastin, Blayais and Golfech plants, however EDF does not anticipate production restrictions past Aug. 8.

German Monday power was bid at 365 euros after Friday delivery closed at 405 euros, and French Monday was in a 390-460 euros range after Friday closed at 414 euros.

Germany's EnBW raised retail electricity bills by almost a third from Oct. 1 in the latest example of utilities passing on soaring energy costs.

($1 = 0.9770 euros) (Reporting by Vera Eckert, additional reporting by Forrest Crellin, editing by XXX)