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Check out the key developments from August 2025 below.
Executive Summary
In August 2025, Europe’s power sector became both greener and more stable. Prices moderated further, while generation and demand declined compared with July and the previous year, reflecting the holiday season and milder late-summer weather. With fossil output falling more sharply, the renewable share edged higher. Solar power posted modest year-on-year growth—driven by strong relative gains in Greece and sizeable absolute increases in Germany and Italy.
Day-ahead electricity prices eased further to an EU average of €77/MWh, supported by lower demand, expanding renewables, and continued weakness in gas prices. While short-term volatility persisted, the frequency of both extreme highs and negative hours declined.
Carbon intensity fell once again, marking a clear step toward decarbonisation, with notable improvements in Greece and Hungary and an exceptional drop in Slovenia as its main coal plant entered maintenance overhaul in late April and has remained largely offline since.
Cross-border patterns remained stable: France consolidated its role as the EU’s largest exporter, while Italy continued as the largest importer.
Electricity generation
The share of renewables edged up to 49.37% (+0.29 pp MoM; +1.41 pp YoY).
Solar retained its position as the EU’s second-largest source of generation, ahead of gas, and increased year-on-year by +1.72 TWh. At the national level, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary all recorded YoY solar gains. In relative terms, Greece stood out with the sharpest growth rate (+28.7% YoY), followed by Romania and Hungary. In absolute terms, however, Germany (+1.02 TWh) and Italy (+0.78 TWh) posted the largest solar increases across the EU.
A particularly positive development comes from France, where nuclear generation is showing increasing flexibility to accommodate rising solar output. On 3 August, nuclear plants ramped down to 24 GW at midday, when solar generation was peaking, before rising again to 42 GW by late evening. This illustrates how nuclear is adapting to variable renewables—helping to limit solar curtailment while also improving capture prices for nuclear.
Wind generation remained broadly stable, while hydropower registered only a slight decline both month-on-month and year-on-year. As a result, overall renewable volumes eased marginally, but their share in the mix still increased thanks to lower total generation.
Electricity demand
EU electricity demand totalled 205.35 TWh in August, down 12.22 TWh from July and 14.80 TWh from August 2024.
EU electricity demand fell relative to July (-5.62%) and to August 2024 (-6.72%). This reflects holiday-related slowdowns and the easing of heat stress in late August, which reduced cooling loads in several markets.
One notable exception was Denmark, where demand surged +10.71% YoY, consistent with reports of an early-August heatwave in the Nordics. By contrast, Italy recorded one of the steepest YoY declines (-15.3%), while Spain edged up slightly (+3.0%).
EU monthly CO2eq intensity
The EU’s average CO₂ intensity fell to 151.76 gCO₂/kWh, representing a -6.6% decline MoM and -12.0% decline YoY. Both intensity and absolute emissions decreased, driven by lower fossil generation and a higher renewable share.
At the country level, several Member States with rising solar output also saw notable decreases in emissions. Greece’s intensity dropped by 21% YoY, while Hungary fell by 30% YoY (from 133 g to 93 g), underscoring how solar gains translate into cleaner mixes.
Slovenia recorded an extraordinary 96% YoY decline, reflecting structural change rather than incremental improvements. The country’s main coal-fired power station, Šoštanj (TEŠ), entered overhaul on 22 April 2025 and has remained largely offline since, pushing Slovenia’s intensity to near-zero levels this summer.
Day-ahead electricity prices
EU day-ahead prices averaged €77.02/MWh in August, down -€3.27 from July and -€13.89 YoY. The decline reflects weaker demand, lower gas prices, and higher renewable penetration compared with last year. Natural gas benchmarks (TTF) remained around €31–32/MWh, well below earlier peaks, easing cost pressures on power markets.
The frequency of price spikes (≥€150/MWh) fell YoY, showing that short-term volatility persists even in a generally softer market. The frequency of negative prices declined YoY, in line with reduced oversupply.
National patterns diverged:
- Italy again recorded no negative hours and one of the highest averages (~€109/MWh).
- France averaged ~€54/MWh with frequent negative hours.
- Spain and Portugal stayed in the high-€60s, supported by solar output.
- Nordic zones maintained the lowest averages, increased hydro production and frequent negative prices.
Cross-border flows
France remained the EU’s largest net exporter in August (+8.68 TWh), supported by strong nuclear availability. Sweden was the second-largest exporter (+2.42 TWh). On the import side, Italy (-3.28 TWh) and Germany (-3.25 TWh) led the bloc’s net importers. Norway continued as a significant external supplier, with net exports of +1.41 TWh to the EU.
Check all the data here or contact Mohammed Abi Afthab Olikathodi (aolikathodi@eurelectric.org)
Disclaimer: The latest estimates for electricity generation, demand and CO2 intensity are provided by Eurelectric, based on the most recent hourly data from ENTSO-E and monthly data from Eurostat of the previous year. These figures are subject to slight revisions as actual data becomes available. The aggregate statistics mentioned here refer to the EU-27.