In Week 22 of 2025, electricity market prices in Southeastern Europe (SEE) generally declined across all countries except Italy. This trend was mainly influenced by lower gas and CO2 prices combined with increased wind energy production. The week began with prices around €100 per megawatt-hour (MWh), which gradually fell below €100/MWh and ultimately dropped to approximately €50/MWh on Sunday, June 1st. Greece and Serbia experienced the most significant percentage decreases in electricity prices, with reductions of 32.65% and 31.28%, respectively. Romania followed with a decline of 22.99%, while Bulgaria and Croatia saw decreases of 22.74% and 22.55%. Italy was the only country to record an increase in electricity price, rising by 1.27% compared to the previous week.
During the last week of May 2025, average weekly spot electricity prices in Central Europe mostly decreased, settling around €60/MWh for the major countries in the region. This reflected the impact of falling gas prices. Electricity prices ranged between €28 and €74/MWh. Slovenia remained the most expensive market in Central Europe at €73.51/MWh despite a 21.86% drop from Week 21, followed closely by Slovakia at €72.86/MWh. France recorded the lowest price in the region at €28.00/MWh, though this represented a significant 45.30% increase compared to the previous week.
In Week 22, European weekly average prices hovered around €66/MWh, ranging from €28.00/MWh in France to €98.81/MWh in Poland. The MIBEL markets showed notable price increases, with Spain’s prices rising by 206.84% to €30.07/MWh and Portugal’s prices climbing 162.83% to €34.72/MWh. In southern Europe, all SEE countries had prices below €80/MWh except Italy, where prices exceeded €90/MWh. Overall, prices in the region varied between €59 and €98/MWh. Türkiye reported the lowest weekly average at €59.38/MWh, while Greece was the second cheapest SEE market at €64.91/MWh. Italy recorded the highest average price in Week 22 at €97.77/MWh, up 1.27% from the previous week. Croatia ranked second highest in the SEE region at €73.62/MWh. On a daily basis, most SEE electricity markets reached their peak prices on Monday, May 26, and recorded their lowest prices on Sunday, June 1st.
Electricity demand in Week 22 increased slightly in most SEE countries, driven by warmer temperatures that boosted cooling system usage. Total electricity demand in the region rose by 1.27% compared to Week 21, reaching 14,531.09 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Most countries recorded demand gains, except Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia, which saw declines of 6.17%, 2.98%, and 1.83% respectively. Bulgaria, Türkiye, Greece, Romania, and Italy reported increases of 5.27%, 2.82%, 1.08%, 0.86%, and 0.22%, respectively.
Variable renewable energy output surged in SEE markets during Week 22, increasing by 11.1% compared to the previous week and reaching 2,306.88 GWh. This growth was largely due to a 24.7% rise in wind generation, which totaled 1,178.36 GWh. All SEE countries except Bulgaria, Croatia, and Italy experienced increased wind output, with Türkiye and Serbia posting the largest gains of 53.7% and 34.9%, respectively. Solar generation declined slightly by 0.3%, totaling 1,128.52 GWh. Most SEE countries saw reductions in solar output, with Türkiye and Bulgaria experiencing the steepest decreases at 21.8% and 18.9%. Hungary, Italy, and Croatia were the exceptions, recording slight increases in solar production.
Hydropower generation in the SEE region decreased by 8.79%, reaching 2,344.87 GWh. Most countries experienced declines, especially Bulgaria and Croatia, which posted decreases of 41.61% and 20.66%, respectively, followed by Türkiye at 12.75%. Conversely, Romania, Italy, and Serbia saw increases in hydropower production by 13.68%, 12.83%, and 3.69%, supported by increased precipitation.
Thermal power generation edged higher by 3.58% compared to Week 21, reaching 4,468.44 GWh. This rise was driven by an 8.47% increase in coal-fired generation, totaling 2,651.79 GWh, while gas-fired generation fell by 2.82% to 1,816.65 GWh. Türkiye saw a coal generation surge of 8.10% and a gas generation decline of 1.23%. Bulgaria recorded lower coal electricity production by 8.86%, while its gas-fired generation increased by 15.82%. Italy experienced a 12.38% decrease in coal-fired generation but saw a 2.19% rise in gas-fired electricity generation.
Cross-border electricity trade in the SEE region showed a decline in net electricity imports, falling by 9.66% to 1,216.32 GWh. During the fifth week of May, the region exported 84.17 GWh while imports dropped by 4.7% to 1,300.49 GWh. Hungary, Romania, Italy, and Serbia experienced reductions in net imports by 39.5%, 21.07%, 6.10%, and 5.19%, respectively. In contrast, Türkiye and Bulgaria saw net imports increase significantly by 218.8% and 113.75%, respectively. Greece continued its export activity from the previous week, registering net exports of 84.17 GWh.
