In Week 30 of 2025, electricity market prices rose significantly across most Southeast European (SEE) countries compared to the previous week. All markets recorded weekly average prices above €100/MWh, with the exception of Türkiye. This marked the highest price point since the start of summer. The price increase was mainly attributed to elevated electricity demand caused by a severe heatwave across the region. The week started with prices already above €100/MWh in most SEE countries and followed an upward trajectory, peaking on 25 July. By the end of the week, prices had declined below €100/MWh. Bulgaria and Greece saw the largest percentage increases in electricity prices, rising by 26.75% and 26.25% respectively. Romania followed with a 23.42% increase, while Croatia and Serbia registered growths of 22.01% and 21.74%. Italy was the only country in the SEE region to experience a drop in average electricity price, with a decline of 6.38%.
In Central Europe, weekly average spot electricity prices also increased, with the exception of France, Austria and Belgium. Prices in major markets hovered around €84/MWh. The range across the region spanned from €57/MWh to €122/MWh. Slovenia recorded the highest average price at €122.08/MWh, up by 22.35% from the previous week. Slovakia followed with €106.79/MWh. On the other end, France posted the lowest price in Central Europe at €56.50/MWh, representing a decrease of 7.21%.
Across Europe, the weekly average electricity price in Week 30 stood at around €98/MWh. Prices ranged from €54.70/MWh in the Spanish market to €122.08/MWh in Slovenia. In the MIBEL markets, Spain and Portugal saw substantial price drops. Spain’s average price fell by 29.69% to €54.70/MWh, while Portugal recorded €54.73/MWh, down by 29.65%. Within Southern Europe, all SEE countries recorded average prices above €100/MWh, except Türkiye. Prices in the region varied between €67/MWh and €121/MWh. Türkiye had the lowest average at €67.04/MWh, followed by Italy at €109.81/MWh. Greece reported the highest average price at €121.40/MWh, a 26.25% increase from the previous week. Prices in Greece remained above €110/MWh for most of the week, except on 27 July when they dropped to €91/MWh. Bulgaria and Romania both recorded €121.31/MWh, placing them as the second most expensive markets in the SEE region. Most SEE electricity markets saw peak daily prices on Thursday, 25 July, and the lowest prices on Sunday, 27 July.
The start of the following week (29 July to 1 August) brought a slight break in extreme temperatures across most SEE countries, resulting in reduced electricity demand and a moderate decline in wholesale prices as observed on 30 July. With the heatwave gradually easing, market sources expect further decreases in electricity prices.
Electricity demand in the SEE region increased in Week 30 compared to Week 29, driven by high temperatures and greater use of air conditioning. Total demand rose by 5.66%, reaching 18,668.65 GWh. Greece and Bulgaria recorded the highest increases in demand, at 12.15% and 10.36% respectively. Serbia and Türkiye followed with growths of 9.43% and 8.21%. Romania saw demand rise by 6.46%, while Hungary and Italy experienced marginal increases of 1.50% and 0.73%.
Electricity generation from variable renewables in SEE grew by 2.5% week-on-week, reaching 3,726.64 GWh. This was mainly driven by an increase in wind power output, while solar generation also improved slightly. Wind generation rose by 4.1%, totaling 1,575.36 GWh. Bulgaria and Romania posted the highest gains in wind generation, increasing by 81.8% and 48.8%. On the other hand, Croatia and Greece recorded lower wind output. Solar generation in the region increased by 1.4%, reaching 2,151.29 GWh, with Bulgaria leading the rise at 26.2%.
Hydropower generation in SEE also expanded, up by 5.62% compared to Week 29, reaching a total of 2,641.03 GWh. All countries contributed to this increase except Bulgaria, which recorded a decline of 16.84%. Hungary and Italy posted the highest increases in hydropower output, at 19.98% and 18.40% respectively.
Thermal power generation in SEE increased by 8.41% compared to the previous week, driven by higher electricity demand. Total thermal output reached 9,041.27 GWh. Coal-fired generation grew modestly by 2.32% to 3,588.69 GWh, while gas-fired output surged by 12.41% to 5,452.28 GWh. At the country level, Türkiye saw a 0.10% increase in coal-based generation and a 25.76% rise in gas-fired generation. Bulgaria’s coal and gas output rose by 13.47% and 7.99% respectively. Greece’s coal output climbed by 34.59%, accompanied by a 13.82% increase in gas generation.
Cross-border electricity trade in SEE shifted significantly in Week 30. Net electricity imports increased by 26.02% compared to Week 29, reaching 1,451.87 GWh. Electricity exports fell sharply by 70.6%, dropping to 50.26 GWh, while imports rose by 15.6%, totaling 1,502.14 GWh. Croatia and Italy recorded increases in net imports by 31.02% and 13.97%. Romania and Hungary saw their net imports decline by 18.77% and 7.915% respectively. Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia switched from exporting to importing, recording net imports of 2.59 GWh, 24.61 GWh and 38.05 GWh respectively. Türkiye remained a net exporter, though with a reduced export volume, down by 22.95%.