Region: Southeast Europe sees surge in electricity prices and demand amid early summer heatwave in Week 26 of 2025

In Week 26 of 2025, electricity prices across Southeast European (SEE) countries surged compared to the previous week, surpassing €90/MWh despite a decline in gas prices. Prices started the week around €95/MWh for all SEE countries, peaked above €100/MWh on June 26, and then declined toward the week’s end. Most SEE countries saw single-digit percentage increases in electricity prices, except Italy, which experienced a 1.34% decrease. Hungary and Croatia recorded the highest price rises at 9.57% and 8.60%, respectively, followed by Bulgaria (8.49%), Romania (7.59%), and Greece (4.92%).

In Central Europe, spot electricity prices showed mixed trends during the fourth week of June 2025, averaging around €76/MWh for major markets. Prices ranged from €61/MWh to €94/MWh, with Slovenia being the most expensive at €94.16/MWh—up 9.07% from the previous week—while France recorded the lowest at €61.28/MWh, marking an 18.81% weekly increase. Slovakia’s average price was €89.07/MWh.

European weekly average electricity prices hovered near €84/MWh in Week 26, with the lowest prices in France (€61.28/MWh) and the highest in Italy (€117.27/MWh). In the Iberian MIBEL market, prices slightly declined: Spain’s electricity prices fell by 1.98% to €87.7/MWh, and Portugal’s dropped by 2.63% to €87.84/MWh.

In Southern Europe, all SEE countries had prices close to €90/MWh except Italy, which exceeded €100/MWh. Prices across the region ranged from €56/MWh in Türkiye to €117/MWh in Italy. Türkiye posted the lowest weekly average price at €56.40/MWh, followed by Serbia at €91.22/MWh, making Serbia the second cheapest SEE market that week. Italy held the highest average price at €117.27/MWh, a slight decrease from the prior week. Croatia was the second most expensive SEE market, with prices at €92.83/MWh.

Most SEE electricity markets reached their daily peak prices on Wednesday, June 26, while the lowest prices occurred on Sunday, June 29. Electricity demand in the SEE region surged by 7.57% compared to the previous week, driven by Europe’s first summer heatwave. Greece and Croatia recorded the largest demand increases at 13.27% and 11.50%, respectively, followed by Italy and Hungary. Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria also saw demand rises of 3.89%, 2.89%, and 2.13%.

Electricity generation from variable renewable sources in SEE increased by 9.7% week-on-week, totaling 4,082.75 GWh. This growth was mainly due to a 17.2% increase in wind power output, which reached 1,854.93 GWh. Most SEE countries experienced higher wind generation except Serbia, Hungary, and Croatia. Solar power generation also rose by 4.2% to 2,227.82 GWh, with Bulgaria and Greece posting the highest gains (7.2% and 5.8%). Italy, Türkiye, and Hungary saw moderate solar increases, while Romania and Croatia reported declines of 6.1% and 3.8%, respectively.

Conversely, hydropower output in SEE dropped by 7.55% compared to the previous week, totaling 2,407.22 GWh. All SEE countries recorded decreases, with Bulgaria and Hungary experiencing significant declines of 38.15% and 28.43%. Italy and Romania also saw notable hydropower drops of 6.00% and 4.59%.

Thermal power generation in SEE rose sharply by 15.20% week-on-week, reaching 7,564.44 GWh, due to higher electricity demand. Both coal- and gas-fired generation increased: coal-fired output grew by 2.69% to 3,296.91 GWh, while gas-fired generation surged 27.17% to 4,267.53 GWh. Türkiye recorded a 0.75% rise in coal generation and a significant 32.38% increase in gas-fired output. Bulgaria’s coal generation increased by 10.03%, but gas-fired output declined by 17.82%. Greece ceased coal generation entirely, accompanied by an 11.32% increase in gas-fired electricity production.

Regarding cross-border electricity trade, net imports in SEE increased by 25.89% week-on-week to 1,469.72 GWh in Week 26, while exports fell by 2.6% to 193.25 GWh. Imports rose by 21.7%, totaling 1,662.97 GWh. Croatia and Serbia saw notable increases in net imports, up 51.33% and 32.46%, respectively. In contrast, Türkiye’s net imports dropped sharply by 85.23%. Greece and Bulgaria continued exporting but at lower volumes, with net exports of 51.28 GWh and 141.96 GWh, respectively.

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