To sunbathe in the sun: the energy crisis is growing in Europe due to the heat

The summer of 2025 in Europe is breaking all records. In recent days, a number of countries on the continent have been suffering from abnormal temperatures that have arrived there from North Africa. Spain has already set a record of 46 degrees, and heat warnings are also in effect in most of France. In this regard, the region is sounding the alarm — abnormal temperature conditions can lead to a number of other problems, including rising electricity prices. For more information about the energy crisis in Western Europe, as well as its causes, see the Izvestia article.

Abnormal heat wave in Europe

According to Bloomberg, Western European countries have been suffering from heat waves from North Africa in recent days, with air temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some places. On Sunday, June 29, a record of 46 degrees was set in Spain. Warnings about dangerous breeding conditions have been issued in France and England. It is also reported that the heat wave will affect the countries of Southern Europe. In Italy, for example, 42-degree heat is forecast.

At the same time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday, June 30, at a development conference in Seville.: "Extreme heat is no longer a rare occurrence — it has become the new normal."

In Portugal, an indicator of 46.6 degrees was recorded in the village of Mora, located about 100 km from Lisbon. In Seville, 40 degrees is expected to stay for several days in a row, while night temperatures will not fall below 25 degrees. Doctors are concerned about this prognosis — hot days and such warm nights can become severe stress for the human body and lead to fatal outcomes. In Italy, in one of the hottest regions, Tuscany, the number of hospitalizations has already increased by 20%, people are advised not to go outside from 11:00 to 18:00. In France, for the first time in the history of meteorological observations, heat warnings have affected almost all parts of the country, with an "orange" danger level declared in 88% of areas.

Structural problems

In recent years, European countries have increasingly begun to face abnormal temperature conditions, which, as previously reported, threaten the continent with severe drought. Now, against this background, the energy crisis is gaining new momentum, which has intensified due to Western policy towards Russia, as well as structural problems in this area in Europe itself.

Due to the current situation, it has already been announced that high temperatures could endanger the power grid and cause health emergencies. It is also known that some nuclear power plants (NPP) are forced to reduce production due to interruptions in operation, and electricity prices are rising.

According to Vadim Petrov, Deputy Director of the Unified Scientific Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian All-Russian Research Institute of Ecology, Chairman of the Public Council at the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the reasons for the disruptions are structural.

"Most thermal and nuclear power plants were designed for temperate climates: open cooling schemes depend on the temperature of river water, and with prolonged temperatures of +40 degrees, efficiency decreases, and the maximum allowable eco—discharges become impossible," the expert notes.

At the same time, a prolonged drought has curtailed the tributaries to the Alpine and Iberian hydroelectric power plants. Generation does not compensate for the decline, while coal and gas plants were decommissioned at an accelerated pace in the name of decarbonization. The result was narrow capacity reserves, dependence on import flows and sharp price spikes in any weather anomaly.

The air conditioners are to blame

As Forbes wrote, referring to the International Energy Agency, the culprits of the record heat are air conditioners, the campaign against the use of which is gaining popularity in Western European countries. According to the agency, air conditioners "significantly increase the temperature outside and become participants in the vicious circle of global warming."

As Sergey Pikin, director of the Energy Development Fund, noted to Izvestia, networks in Europe were built at other times when loads were lower and the possibility of such abnormal temperatures was not taken into account.

— Their [European] energy system is not designed for such weather conditions. This is not a Middle Eastern country, where such temperature loads were taken into account during the design," the expert says.

At the same time, overloads mostly occur on distribution networks, that is, as close as possible to consumers, which also happens due to outdated technologies.

— As temperatures rise, the number of air conditioners purchased increases. Their availability has increased many times over the past few years, and they provide an additional peak load. The heat is increasing, the use of air conditioners is increasing, which further affects the energy system, and so on," explains Sergey Pikin.

The main thing is at the same time

Stanislav Mitrakhovich, an expert at the National Energy Security Foundation and the Financial University, adds that the European energy sector has focused on renewable energy sources (RES) without taking into account existing technological, economic constraints and available energy storage systems, which should pick up the load at a time when renewable energy generation is weakening due to weather factors.

"It would be much easier for the European energy sector if they carried out their energy transition at a calmer pace, but they have become hostages in many ways to the ideological factor," the expert believes.

According to Pavel Maryshev, Development Director of the Energia Plus engineering company, the installed capacity of nuclear power plants in the region is gradually decreasing due to the investment programs of the largest operators, which exclude the modernization of existing capacities.

— Alternative energy sources have repeatedly caused energy shortages and peak natural gas prices in the EU. Renewable energy sources are unstable: in some places, when weather conditions allow, the cost of capacity on the stock exchange becomes negative, and in some places, when the weather is unfavorable, there is a local shortage. At the current stage of the technological development of renewable energy sources, it is not the most reasonable decision to fully trust the energy security of this source," the Izvestia interlocutor believes.

Sergey Pikin adds that in order to withstand the existing pressures, Europe needs to develop "green" energy at the same time, for example, with nuclear energy, so that there is a balanced development of energy systems.

Vadim Petrov agrees with this opinion. In his opinion, intensive implementation of renewable energy sources should be combined with a stable share of managed capacities.

"At the same time, the European Union will have to invest in natural solutions: restoration of floodplains and forests to stabilize river flow, which reduces the risk of simultaneous restrictions for both hydro and nuclear power plants," he notes.

Despite all this, he notes that the trend towards summer energy shortages will continue without additional measures.

"If priorities shift from carbon speculation to investments in network flexibility, climate resilience, and environmental recovery, by the middle of the next decade, the continent will be able to reduce vulnerability even with an accelerated exit from fossil fuels. Otherwise, each new hot season will repeat the current scenario with temporary shutdowns of nuclear power plants, an increase in fossil generation and increasingly expensive systemic risks," concludes Vadim Petrov.