During the week of April 28, 2025, electricity demand decreased across most major European markets. Spain experienced the most significant drop, with a 13% reduction, followed by France and Portugal, which saw declines of 11% and 8.6%, respectively. Other markets also saw a decrease in demand, including Great Britain (down 7.6%), Germany (down 4.1%), and Belgium (down 3.9%). Germany’s demand has now been on a downward trend for seven consecutive weeks, while Belgium has seen a similar pattern for the past three weeks. France and Portugal continued their downward trajectory for the second week in a row. In contrast, Italy was the only market to experience an increase in demand, rising by 3.5%.
The overall decline in demand was coupled with a rise in average temperatures across all markets. France, Belgium, and Germany saw the largest temperature increases, with rises of 4.6°C, 4.0°C, and 3.5°C, respectively. Great Britain’s temperature increase was 3.2°C, while Spain and Portugal both saw a smaller rise of 0.9°C. The warmer temperatures contributed to the decrease in demand, as less energy was required for heating.
Additionally, the May 1 holiday, International Workers’ Day, led to reduced work activity in several markets, further reinforcing the downward trend in demand. The blackout on April 28, which affected electricity supply in Spain and Portugal, caused an unusual drop in demand, amplifying the weekly decrease. Meanwhile, in Italy, although May 1 was a public holiday, demand increased following two public holidays in the previous week—Easter Monday on April 21 and Liberation Day on April 25.
Looking ahead, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting predicts that demand will rise in most major European markets during the week of May 5, 2025. Spain and Portugal are expected to recover from the impact of the blackout and the public holiday. However, Great Britain is forecast to see a slight decline in demand, partially due to the national holiday on May 5, the “Early May Bank Holiday”, AleaSoft reports.
