Wholesale gas prices in the EU fell in the second quarter of 2025 for the first time since early 2024, while solar power generation hit a record high.
Average wholesale gas prices were €35 per megawatt-hour (MWh), down 24% from the previous quarter but 10% higher than the same period in 2024, according to new quarterly market reports published Thursday by the European Commission.
Retail gas prices also eased, falling 2% from the previous quarter and 9% year-on-year, from €111.4/MWh in April to €108.7/MWh in June.
EU gas consumption was 2% lower than in Q2 2024, while gas storage levels ended the heating season more than 30% lower than the previous two years.
Gas imports rose to 75 billion cubic metres (bcm), up 9% from the previous quarter and 8% from a year earlier, driven by liquefied natural gas (LNG) — gas shipped in liquid form — which reached a record 35 bcm. LNG accounted for 46% of imports, while pipeline gas made up 54%.
Norway was the EU’s largest overall gas supplier with 30% of total imports (22 bcm), while the United States provided 58% of EU LNG (20.3 bcm), followed by Russia with 14% (4.9 bcm) and Qatar with 8% (2.7 bcm).
Solar rises as hydro falls
Russian gas imports — combining pipeline gas and LNG — fell 29% year-on-year in Q2 2025 and 9% compared with the previous quarter, cutting Russia’s share of total EU gas imports to 12% from 18% a year earlier, the statement said. Russian pipeline gas imports were down 50% year-on-year.
On electricity, solar generation climbed to 98 terawatt-hours (TWh) in Q2 2025, up 20% and a new record for a second quarter, according to the update.
Hydropower generation dropped 17% compared with a year earlier, while onshore wind rose 3% and offshore wind fell 6%.
Renewables provided 52% of EU electricity generation in Q2 2025, unchanged from a year earlier, while the share from fossil fuels edged up to 25% from 24%.
Electricity consumption across the EU was broadly flat, rising 0.4% year-on-year, and demand remained 6% below the pre-crisis average for 2015 to 2019.
Retail electricity prices for households in EU capital cities rose 3% in Q2 2025 to €246/MWh, with increases linked to higher taxes and network costs despite lower energy costs.
More than 720,000 new electric vehicles were sold in the EU in Q2 2025, up almost 30% from a year earlier and equivalent to a 23% share of the passenger car market. Sweden recorded an EV share of 62%, with Denmark at 60%, Finland at 54% and the Netherlands at 52%.
