According to preliminary calculations by the Working Group on Energy Balances (AG Energiebilanzen), domestic primary energy consumption reached 5,489 PJ or 187.3 Mtce in the first half of 2025 (Figure 1). This was 2.3 % more than in the same period of the previous year. According to AG Energiebilanzen, this represents a noticeable slowdown from the strong growth of 5.5 % observed in the first three months of the current year.
Fig. 1. Development of primary energy consumption in the first half of 2025 (changes in percent – total 5,489 PJ or 187.3 Mtce). Photo: AG Energiebilanzen
The cooler weather compared to the same period last year had a significant impact on current consumption trends, leading to increases in consumption in the space heating segment of the energy sector. Adjusted for the weather effect, energy consumption in the first six months of the current year would have risen by only 0.4 %.
Macroeconomic developments also had consumption-increasing effects. In the first half of 2025, macroeconomic output is expected to have increased by 0.8 % compared with the same period last year. However, a large part of this growth is attributable to energy-intensive service sectors. By contrast, production in the manufacturing sector fell by 2.3 %, with particularly energy-intensive sectors of the economy shrinking by as much as 3.2 %. According to AG Energiebilanzen, this means that the impact of the slight improvement in overall economic development on energy consumption is likely to be rather small. Last year’s leap day had an additional consumption-reducing effect on developments in the current year.
In addition, the increased use of fossil fuels in electricity generation had a consumption-increasing effect. To compensate for the decline in wind and water power, more natural gas and hard coal were used. Since the efficiency of conventional power plants is lower than that of wind turbines and hydroelectric power plants, the demand for primary energy increased.
The consumption of mineral oil rose by a total of 2.6 % in the first six months of the current year. Consumption of petrol rose by 3.6 %, while diesel fuel consumption increased by 2.0 %. By contrast, sales of aviation fuel fell by 2.5 %. Deliveries of raw petrol to the chemical industry declined by 5.4 %. Sales of light heating oil rose by just under 18 %.
Natural gas consumption rose by 4.7 % in the first half of the current year. The cold weather, particularly in February, led to a significant increase in demand for natural gas for heating purposes. The use of natural gas for electricity generation also rose by around 8 %, helping to offset the decline in electricity generation from wind and water.
Hard coal consumption in the first six months was almost at the same level as in the same period last year. The use of hard coal in power stations for electricity generation rose by over 23 % as a result of the decline in feed-in from wind turbines and hydroelectric power stations. By contrast, sales to the iron and steel industry fell by just under 12 % due to the decline in pig iron production.
In the first half of 2025, 1.4 % less lignite was used in Germany than in the same period of the previous year. By contrast, deliveries to general supply power stations and thus electricity generation from lignite reached almost the same level as in the same period of the previous year. This development reflects the increasingly flexible use of lignite-fired power stations and their use in medium and peak loads to compensate for fluctuating feed-in from renewable energies.
In the first half of 2025, 27 PJ more electricity was imported than exported. This means that the electricity import balance was lower than in the same period of the previous year. The reason for this is the significantly higher electricity generation from renewable energies in the second quarter, especially from photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The contribution of renewable energies in the first half of 2025 was 1.3 % higher overall than in the same period of the previous year. However, low wind and dry weather reduced electricity generation from wind by 18 % and from water by 29 %. A high number of hours of sunshine and a strong expansion of installations led to a 25 % increase in PV. Due to weather conditions, the use of renewable energies in heat generation also increased, rising by 5 %.
According to rough calculations by AG Energiebilanzen, the increase in the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and heat supply led to an increase in energy-related CO2 emissions of around 2.6 % or approximately 6 Mt in the first half of 2025. (AG Energiebilanzen/Si.)
