Croatia reached new milestones in renewable electricity generation in 2025, signaling a structural shift in the country’s electricity system. Provisional data shows that wind farms, solar power plants, and renewable-fuel thermal units collectively became the largest source of electricity for the first time.
These technologies together produced over 5 TWh of electricity during the year, covering 26.6% of national consumption. When hydropower output is included, renewable sources accounted for a majority share of Croatia’s electricity use, supplying 52.6% of total demand in 2025. Total electricity consumption reached a record 19,326 GWh, surpassing 19 TWh annually for the first time. Compared to 2024, consumption grew by just over 1%, continuing a growth trend now in its third consecutive year. Average annual demand growth of around 322 GWh has been largely matched by new non-hydro renewable generation, which expanded by about 376 GWh per year, indicating that new capacity is primarily meeting rising demand rather than displacing fossil fuels.
Despite these gains, hydropower remained the single largest generation technology, though output declined due to less favorable hydrological conditions. Electricity from river inflows and reservoirs fell to 4,831 GWh, down 18.4% year-on-year, while pump-storage plants added 191 GWh, bringing total hydro generation to 5,022 GWh, roughly 26% of total consumption.
Even so, combined output from wind, solar, biomass, and biogas exceeded hydropower over the year. These technologies produced a record 5,142 GWh in 2025, slightly surpassing hydro and establishing themselves as the leading generation group in Croatia’s energy system.
Despite the strong performance of renewables, Croatia remained a net electricity importer, totaling 3,137 GWh, or 16.2% of overall consumption. Imports occurred in 10 out of 12 months, peaking in summer and autumn, with the largest shares coming from Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The imported volume roughly corresponds to the annual output of about 2,600 MW of solar capacity.
Industry experts note that renewables have shifted from a supporting role to a central pillar of Croatia’s electricity system. At the same time, rising consumption and continued reliance on imports highlight the need for faster deployment of new generation capacity and network upgrades if Croatia aims to make more decisive progress in its energy transition.