According to monthly data published by energy think tank Ember, emissions from the power sector in the European Union during the January to March period reached their highest since the first quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of 2025, EU emissions from burning fossil fuels in the power sector were estimated at 162 megatones of CO2e (390 megatones of CO2e in Europe). This is 14% more than during the same period last year and the highest quarterly value since the start of 2023 when the total reached 192 megatones of CO2e (430 megatones of CO2e in Europe).

Fossil fuels electricity generation in the region reached nearly 230 TWh in the first three months, compared to 202 TWh produced in the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, clean energy dropped from 490 TWh in the first quarter last year to 471 TWh in 2025 amid lower wind conditions. 

“The main countries that have fuelled the rise in European power emissions are Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom, which all lifted pollution from fossil fuel-fired generation to multi-year highs during the first quarter,” noted Reuters. 

Germany experienced the largest drop in clean energy production compared to the first quarter of 2024, as reduced wind generation (-30%) and hydropower output (-26%) forced the country to rely more heavily on coal and natural gas.