BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 11. European gas demand declined by 2.1 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, mainly due to weaker consumption in the industrial and commercial sectors, according to the latest outlook from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), Trend reports.
Despite this quarterly dip, overall gas use in the first nine months of the year rose by 2.4 percent, driven entirely by higher demand in the first quarter amid colder weather and lower renewable output. However, OIES noted that gas consumption has since returned to 2024 levels, indicating that the increase was weather-related rather than a sign of structural recovery.
Between October 2024 and September 2025, total gas demand in the EU and the UK amounted to about 400 billion cubic meters - still more than 89 billion cubic meters below pre-crisis levels in 2021.
Among major gas markets, Italy recorded the sharpest year-on-year decline in the third quarter, reflecting reduced gas use for power generation amid weaker overall electricity demand. Across Europe, gas accounted for roughly 15 percent of total power generation in Q3 2025, a smaller share than in 2023 or 2022, as renewables continued to expand.
OIES emphasized that gas-fired power remains essential to balancing the electricity system during periods of low renewable output. The institute expects this role to persist over the coming winter, though limited economic growth and strong nuclear availability - particularly in France - should keep gas demand contained.
