Renewables reached a new all-time monthly high in August, at 3,312 GWh. However, wholesale market prices hit a yearly high of €133.4/MWh, driven by increased gas usage, and higher gas prices rose in August due to the escalating crisis. Batteries prevented 15.4% of August’s RES curtailments, which were limited to 158.6 GWh for the month, but nevertheless approached 2 TWh (1,905 GWh) since the beginning of the year.
This analysis concerns electricity production across the entire territory of Greece and is based on the latest available monthly data from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) for the interconnected grid (July 2026) and from the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO) for the non-interconnected islands (June 2026). In addition, we use data from HEDNO for low and medium voltage, as well as for the installed capacity of self-production systems (April 2026). Data from the Renewable Energy Special Account bulletin of the Renewable Energy Sources & Guarantees of Origin Operator (DAPEEP) (May 2026) are used to calculate more accurately CHP production at low and medium voltage, as well as for the PV utilization factors needed to estimate self-production. Finally, for the wholesale electricity market, we use data from the Day-Ahead Market from ENTSO-E. You can read in more detail about our methodology here.
August
Renewables (mainly wind and solar, including self-production) reached a new all-time monthly high in August 2026, at 3,312 GWh, an increase of 5.6% compared with the previous all-time high recorded in the previous month. Compared with August last year, the increase was even higher, at 12.4%.
Fossil gas ranked second, with 2,246 GWh, representing the second-highest level of electricity generation of the year after January. Compared with the previous month, fossil gas generation increased by 3.2%, while compared with last year, the increase was 11.1%.
Large hydro ranked third, at 473 GWh, an increase of 4.1% compared with July, while compared with August last year, generation recorded a much larger increase of 41.3%.
Oil generation on the non-interconnected islands followed, at 314 GWh, up 6.7% compared with July, but significantly lower (-35.6%) than last year, thanks to the newly completed interconnection of Crete.
Lignite ranked last, with Ptolemaida 5 generating 245.4 GWh in August. However, generation increased significantly by 37.3% compared with July, while it more than tripled (+230.5%) compared with August 2025.
Finally, energy storage systems, using large-scale batteries, absorbed a total of 50 GWh and supplied 43.1 GWh to the system, increases of 33.3% and 32.9%, respectively, compared with July.
Total domestic electricity demand in August reached 5,869 GWh, slightly lower (-2.7%) than the annual high recorded in the previous month, but significantly higher (+8.5%) than in July 2025. However, total domestic electricity generation reached an all-time high of 6,635 GWh, increasing by 5.8% compared with July and by 13.1% compared with August 2025.
In terms of the interconnection balance, the country recorded net exports of 768.6 GWh, more than three times higher (+221%) than July’s net exports and 68.2% higher than those recorded last year.
The average wholesale electricity market price (day-ahead market) reached a yearly high of €133.4/MWh, up 21.3% compared with the average July price, driven by the high use of gas combined with the increase in gas prices. Specifically, the average monthly TTF price for next-month contracts reached a yearly high in August at €53.3/MWh, an 18% increase compared with the previous month (€47.3/MWh).
First eight months of the year
Cumulatively, over the first eight months of 2026, renewables maintained their leading position, with 21,500 GWh, a record level of electricity generation for this period of the year.
Fossil gas remained in second place, with 15,122 GWh, marginally lower (-1.9%) than the all-time high of 15,410 GWh recorded during the first eight months of 2025.
Large hydropower ranked third, with 4,673 GWh, the highest level of generation for this period of the year since 2013.
Lignite followed, with 1,830 GWh, marginally higher (+0.9%) than last year.
Oil reached an all-time low of 1,579 GWh, down 38.9% compared with the first eight months of 2025.
Cumulative energy injected into the grid by storage systems reached 100.6 GWh, five months after the first battery started to operate.
Domestic electricity demand during the first eight months of 2026 stood at 38,567 GWh, representing a slight decrease (-0.73%) compared with the same period in 2025. By contrast, domestic electricity generation, at 44,817 GWh, increased by 11.3% compared with 2025.
The difference between domestic demand and electricity generation is attributable to the net-exporting interconnection balance, which reached a record 6,251 GWh during the first eight months of 2026—more than double the total net exports recorded for the whole of 2025 (3,010 GWh).
Changes in electricity sources
Comparing the first eight months of 2026 with the same period in 2025, there was a “surge” in net exports (+4,832 GWh). This was more than offset by the increase in electricity generation, primarily from renewables (+3,254 GWh) and secondarily from large hydropower (+2,468 GWh). Together with batteries (+101 GWh) and the slight decline in domestic demand (-287 GWh), these sources also offset the decrease in generation from oil (-1,006 GWh) and fossil gas (-288 GWh).
As for renewables, the increase recorded during the first eight months of the year appears to have been driven primarily by solar PV and secondarily by wind power. Data for high-voltage systems show that solar PV generation reached 4,440 GWh (+44.1% compared with 2025), while wind generation reached 8,013 GWh (+20% compared with 2025).
The corresponding percentage changes during the first eight months of 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, were:
Lignite: +0.9%
Fossil gas: -1.9%
Oil: -38.9%
Renewables: +17.8%
Large hydropower: +111.9%
Net exports: +340.3%
Domestic demand: -0.7%
Comparison of Clean Energy with Fossil Fuels
Cumulatively, during the first eight months of 2026, clean energy sources (wind, solar PV, self-generation, biomass and hydropower) reached an all-time high, with total generation of 26,174 GWh, representing an increase of 28% compared with the same period last year.
Total generation from fossil fuels (lignite, fossil gas and oil) stood at 18,532 GWh, down 6.5% compared with the same period in 2025, mainly due to the decline in oil generation and, to a lesser extent, gas generation.
As a result, the gap between clean energy sources and fossil fuels reached 7,642 GWh, marking the highest-ever difference in favor of clean energy sources.
During the first eight months of the year, clean energy sources accounted for 67.9% of domestic electricity demand and 58.5% of total domestic electricity generation.
Renewables Curtailments
Based on the combination of forecasts included in IPTO’s ISP2 and ISP3 solutions, renewable energy curtailments in August are estimated at 158.6 GWh (or 4.6% of total renewable generation), up 9.5% compared with July but down from the 231 GWh recorded in August 2025.
Cumulatively, during the first eight months of 2026, total renewable energy curtailments are estimated at 1,905 GWh (or 8.1% of total renewable generation), exceeding the total for the whole of 2025 (1,867 GWh) as well as total electricity generation from lignite in 2026. They were also 17.9% higher than curtailments recorded during the first eight months of 2025.
The highest curtailments for the month were recorded on 15 August, at 22.6 GWh.
Battery Storage
New records were set in August 2026 for the contribution of batteries to preventing curtailments and reducing gas use, despite the fact that the installed capacity of commissioned standalone energy storage systems[1] remained unchanged from July, at 600.18 MW.
According to the ISP2 and ISP3 forecasts included in IPTO’s ISP2 and ISP3 solutions, in August, batteries absorbed 51.6 GWh and supplied 44.9 GWh to the system[2]. The same forecasts show that 22.8 GWh of charging took place during hours when there were no renewable energy curtailments. Given that total curtailments in August amounted to 158.6 GWh, this means that the installed batteries prevented 15.4% of renewable energy curtailments, thanks to the absorption of 28.8 GWh that would otherwise have been curtailed. At the same time, gas use was reduced by 1.96% as a result of battery discharge during evening hours (44.9 GWh).
Cumulatively, from April 2026, when the first batteries began operating, through August, batteries absorbed 121.8 GWh, of which 43.5 GWh occurred during hours without renewable energy curtailments, while they supplied 106.4 GWh to the system. As a result, they prevented 5% of total curtailments during this period, while simultaneously reducing gas use for electricity generation by just 1.2%. Despite the continued progress observed since July, the data highlight the need to accelerate the deployment of energy storage systems.
Hours with near zero or negative prices
In August 2026, there were 92.25 hours with near-zero[3] or negative prices in the Greek wholesale market, 23.75 hours more than in the previous month, but 42.75 hours fewer than in August 2025.
Cumulatively, 949 hours with near-zero or negative prices were recorded during the first eight months of 2026, three times as many as the 314 hours recorded during the same period in 2025.
[1] Two additional batteries with a combined charging capacity of 98 MW also participate in IPTO’s daily scheduling, although they have not yet been commissioned.
[2] According to data from IPTO’s monthly bulletin for August, batteries absorbed 50 GWh and supplied 43.1 GWh to the system—figures broadly in line with those from IPTO’s daily ISP2 and ISP3 solutions (51.6 GWh and 44.9 GWh, respectively).
[3] DAM prices less than 0.05 €/MWh.
