Consumption
Statistics Netherlands | CBS
Source published: 12 September 25
More Electricity from Fossil Sources
This article discusses the increase in electricity production from fossil sources in the Netherlands.
In the first quarter of 2025, 35 billion kWh of electricity was produced. This is the highest quarterly production since the start of measurement. In the second quarter, the Netherlands produced 29 billion kWh.
Electricity consumption fluctuates per quarter, but there are few differences compared to last year. The surplus (the difference between production, consumption, and loss during distribution) of electricity is net exported mainly to Belgium and Germany. The export in the first quarter was the highest ever recorded.
Production from renewable sources (solar, wind, water, and biomass) decreased by 1 billion kWh in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Especially the production from wind decreased (by 3 billion kWh), as it was less windy both at sea and on land. The decline on land was greater than the decline at sea.
The production from solar energy was 2 billion kWh higher in the first six months than in the same period of 2024. In the second quarter, this was even the highest ever recorded at 10 billion kWh. This is mainly due to the second quarter being sunnier than the same period in 2024.
In the first half of 2025, 48 percent of electricity production came from renewable sources. In the first quarter, this was 39 percent, and in the second quarter, it was 59 percent.
Electricity production from coal increased by 72 percent in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier. In the first quarter, production from coal was 2 billion kWh higher than the same period in 2024, and production from natural gas was 2 billion kWh higher. Coal and natural gas power plants were able to compensate for the lower production of renewable energy due to relatively low prices of coal and natural gas in the first quarter. In the second quarter, production from fossil sources increased less.
