Forecast shows small drop in German energy consumption in 2025
Germany’s energy consumption is expected to fall slightly in 2025, according to a forecast by the Working Group on Energy Balances (AGEB) seen by dpa.
Under the estimate, total energy use in 2025 will fall by about 0.1% from the previous year.
The AGEB experts said the outlook reflected a mix of factors pushing consumption both up and down.
One factor is the cooler weather compared with last year, particularly in February, March and October, increasing demand for heating energy.
As recently as late October, experts had expected a small rise in full-year consumption because of the colder conditions.
Lower consumer prices for fuels, heating oil and natural gas may also have buoyed demand.
Overall, however, factors weighing on consumption were expected by the AGEB to have a stronger impact in 2025 than those boosting it.
A weak chemicals sector, for example, reduced demand for petroleum products.
Looking at the energy mix, both renewables and natural gas increased their shares of overall consumption. Natural gas rose to 26.9% from 26% a year earlier, while renewables climbed to 20.6% from 19.8%.
The share of oil edged down to 35.7% from 36.5%. Lignite and hard coal also declined, to 7.2% and 7.1% respectively. The remaining share largely reflected electricity imports and power generated from waste incineration.
As a result of the shift in the energy mix, energy-related CO2 emissions fell by more than 6 million tons, a decline of over 1% from the previous year, the statisticians said.
