Amper: electricity consumption in Czechia keeps rising despite year-on-year price increase

Electricity consumption in Czechia continued to rise in the second quarter of this year, increasing by 2.3 percent year on year, but it still has not reached the average levels seen before the energy crisis. The price of electricity rose by 26 percent year on year. Amper Meteo, part of the Amper Group, reported this in a press release.

Electricity consumption in Czechia has been rising year on year since the final quarter of 2024, increasing by 2.3 percent in the second quarter of this year after adjusting for weather effects. "In recent quarters, we have been able to estimate developments in the Czech economy very reliably based on electricity consumption. The consumption growth figures were practically identical to GDP growth. If this also held true in the latest quarter, it can be said that the war in Iran has not yet affected our economy in this respect, unless the figures were distorted by greater use of air conditioning in June," said Jan Palaščák, founder of the Amper Group.

Gas consumption also rose year on year in the second quarter of this year, by 1.2 percent, though after adjusting for weather effects it fell by 0.4 percent. The second quarter of this year began with an April that was 2.2 degrees Celsius colder year on year, but May was 2.8 degrees Celsius warmer year on year and June was 0.8 degrees Celsius warmer.

Compared with the 2017-2021 period, i.e. before the energy crisis, consumption of both gas and electricity remains lower. Gas savings stand at around 15 percent, while electricity consumption in the second quarter was 5.5 percent lower.

Renewable sources excluding biogas plants in Czechia generated 3598 gigawatt-hours of electricity since the start of this year, comparable with last year. Solar power plants accounted for the largest share of this generation, at 75.6 percent, followed by hydropower plants at 16.2 percent and wind power plants at 8.2 percent. These three sources could cover 10.3 percent of electricity consumption in Czechia.

Compared with the 2016-2025 average, solar power plants generated 91 percent more electricity, although installed capacity increased by 107 percent. By contrast, hydropower generation was 37 percent lower than the average for this period. The steepest decline occurred in January, when hydropower output was more than half lower.

"The main reasons were weaker snow cover and lower temperatures, which, unlike in the past, did not lead to early snowmelt. The situation did not improve in subsequent months either. It can be assumed that low hydropower generation is also having a negative impact on spot electricity prices, especially during evening peaks," added Amper Meteo data analyst Kamil Rajdl.

The price of electricity in the second quarter rose by 26 percent year on year, from a median price of 88.4 euros per megawatt-hour to 111.4 euros per MWh. According to experts, the likely reason is the war in Iran, during which fuel and gas prices rose, potentially having a negative impact on electricity prices as well.

The Amper Group bases its calculations and analyses on publicly available data. It obtains electricity consumption data from ČEPS, while current gas data are provided by NET4GAS. It also works with data from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ).