In the last 12 months, from September 2024 to August 2025, Luxembourg has shown a significant reliance on imported electricity, with net imports accounting for more than 70% of its power consumption. In terms of domestic energy production, low-carbon sources form a noteworthy part, contributing to slightly more than a quarter of the total. Within this clean energy segment, wind and solar power are nearly neck and neck, providing 9% and around 8.6% respectively, while biofuels add approximately 7.5%, and hydropower a modest 1.5%. Fossil energy holds an almost negligible presence in Luxembourg's electricity mix, with gas and other fossil fuels making up just about 1.3% of the total. This demonstrates Luxembourg's move towards minimizing fossil fuels, thereby reducing adverse impacts such as climate change and air pollution.
Is Electricity Growing in Luxembourg?
Unfortunately, electricity consumption in Luxembourg has been on a downturn. The most recent consumption figure is 7,053 kWh per person, a remarkable decrease from the historic peak of 17,048 kWh per person in 2010—indicating a drop of close to 10,000 kWh per person. Low-carbon electricity too has shrunk, with the current generation at 1,876 kWh per person, down by 1,277 kWh from its previous record in 2010. Stagnation in the growth of overall and low-carbon electricity is concerning, especially with the world moving towards broader electrification and the need to support advancements like AI. This necessitates a serious reassessment of Luxembourg's electricity generation strategy to meet future demands sustainably.
Suggestions
To enhance its low-carbon electricity output, Luxembourg should consider looking at successful strategies from other regions. States like Iowa and Denmark have excelled in wind energy, achieving over 60% and 57% respectively, while countries such as France and Slovakia have embraced nuclear power robustly, generating 69% and 64% of their electricity from it. Luxembourg can draw inspiration from these regions by expanding its solar and nuclear capacities, taking advantage of its favorable policy environment. The inclusion of nuclear energy, which countries like France utilize so effectively, could substantially uplift Luxembourg's clean power output while ensuring reliability and continuity.
History
Luxembourg's history of low-carbon electricity generation has seen both growth and setbacks. In the 1990s, hydropower saw moderate fluctuations, with slight increases and decreases marking the decade. The early 2000s, however, witnessed a sharp decline, with a particularly significant downturn in 2009 and 2011, which critically hindered progress. More recent years have seen a positive shift, albeit at a smaller scale, with the introduction of new low-carbon sources like wind and biofuels starting in 2017. The most notable developments were from wind energy in 2023, showing hopeful prospects for the future. Luxembourg now stands at a crossroads, with the potential to embrace ambitious clean energy goals by learning from past experiences and international successes.
Electrification
We estimate the degree of electrification by comparing electricity and total energy emissions. More about methodology.