Electricity price explosion: Never before has electricity been as expensive in Germany in February as it is now

Alongside migration and defense, it was one of the central themes of the election campaign: energy policy. By 2030, 80 percent of electricity in Germany is to be generated from renewable energies. On paper, this goal is getting closer and closer - last year, 59 percent of the electricity produced came from renewable energy sources. But in hours with little wind and sun, known as " dark lulls ," this share is missing and causes sometimes violent price explosions, at least for daily traded electricity on the stock exchange.

In February, electricity prices in Germany even reached their highest level ever, as the US news agency Bloomberg reported , citing data from the European electricity exchange Epex Sport. According to the report, day-ahead electricity prices, i.e. the prices for electricity traded on the stock exchange one day in advance, were higher than in any other February since records began in 2009 and thus also higher than during the peak of the energy crisis in 2022 and 2023. The main reason for this is the collapse in electricity generation from wind power , it is said. For some companies, this has had devastating consequences.

German factory had to stop production due to dark weather

Back in January, the Berliner Zeitung reported that the relatively low-wind winter was causing a decreasing share of renewable energy and a simultaneously increasing share of fossil fuels in the electricity mix. This trend has apparently become even more pronounced: According to data from the think tank Agora Energiewende, renewable energies had the lowest share of the electricity mix in February compared to any other month since December 2022. Because Germany will then have to rely more on fossil fuels and import electricity from abroad, electricity prices will also rise accordingly. For most consumers, however, the weak wind has no impact on their electricity prices, as they are usually covered by fixed prices or price guarantees in the basic supply.

On February 25, 2025, the baseload price was 147.01 euros, according to Bloomberg, and the peakload price was 157.56 euros. The average electricity price in February was about 128 euros per megawatt hour, slightly above the January average of 125.28 euros. The weak wind output this winter is more dramatic for no country in Europe than for Germany, where the impact of high energy costs is hitting the economy particularly hard, it says. Rising energy prices have affected the competitiveness of some German manufacturers and forced them to relocate their factories abroad. In fact, a German green steel manufacturer had to cease production earlier this year because a dark period caused electricity prices to explode.

So far, there are no good options for storing wind power. Shortly before the traffic light coalition collapsed, the CDU blocked the gas-fired power plants planned by former Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), which were intended to serve as a reserve for hours with little wind and sun. Shortly afterwards, the designated Chancellor Friedrich Merz himself promised precisely these gas-fired power plants if he were elected.

Do you have feedback? Write to us! [email protected]