In December 2025, Bulgaria experienced a notable decline in electricity production, with output dropping by 32.6% from the previous month, totaling 3,673 GWh. This downturn occurred concurrently with a substantial increase in electricity consumption, which surged by 19.6% month-on-month, reaching 3,570 GWh. The rise in demand for electricity was paralleled by an increase in natural gas consumption, which rose by 18.5% to 314 million cubic meters, while domestic gas production remained static at 1 million cubic meters.
When compared to December 2024, the electricity output reflected a slight annual decrease of 3.9%, whereas consumption showed a marginal increase of 0.4%. The year-on-year data for natural gas indicated a more pronounced surge, with a 6.1% increase, highlighting the heightened demand typically associated with winter months.
The oil products sector also demonstrated mixed trends during this period. Production of unleaded petrol rose significantly by 9.5%, amounting to 92,000 tons, while consumption saw an even sharper increase of 28.6%, totaling 63,000 tons. Conversely, diesel production experienced a decline of 5.2%, bringing output down to 164,000 tons. However, diesel consumption saw a slight uptick of 1.3%, reaching 232,000 tons.
The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market reflected contrasting dynamics; despite a significant production increase of 33.3%, totaling 4,000 tons, LPG consumption fell by 5%, down to 38,000 tons. Meanwhile, solid fuels saw robust growth in both production and consumption—output increased by 16.4%, reaching 1,821 thousand tons, and consumption rose by 17.6%, totaling 1,914 thousand tons. This trend underscores the ongoing reliance on traditional energy sources as demand continues to rise during the winter season.
The fluctuations in energy production and consumption patterns observed in December highlight the challenges facing Bulgaria’s energy sector amidst shifting demand dynamics and regulatory pressures within the broader Southeast European context.
