Malta Remains the EU’s Most Fossil-Fuel-Dependent Electricity Producer
Malta remains an outlier in Europe when it comes to the production of electricity from fossil fuels.
According to the latest Eurostat figures, 84 per cent of Malta’s electricity production in 2025 came from fossil fuels, the highest proportion anywhere in the European Union. Cyprus followed with 73 per cent, while Poland stood at 68 per cent.
The contrast with the European average is striking. Across the EU as a whole, fossil fuels accounted for only 29 per cent of electricity production in 2025. At the opposite end of the table were Sweden, where fossil fuels represented just 2 per cent of electricity production, Finland with 3 per cent, and France with 5 per cent.
The figures highlight how differently European countries have developed their electricity systems. Sweden benefits from extensive hydroelectric and nuclear generation, while France has historically relied heavily on nuclear power. Malta, because of its size, geography and lack of indigenous conventional energy resources, has developed a very different system.
There has nevertheless been some movement in Malta. Eurostat data show that fossil fuels accounted for 86 per cent of Malta’s electricity production in 2023 and 85 per cent in 2024, falling to 84 per cent in 2025. (European Commission) The direction is therefore downward, but the pace remains slow compared with the transformation taking place elsewhere in Europe.
This deserves particular attention because Malta is also exceptionally dependent on imported energy. The European Commission has described the Maltese energy mix as heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, leaving the country exposed to external energy-price and supply shocks. (European Commission)
The question for Malta is therefore not simply an environmental one. It is also economic and strategic. Greater diversification through solar energy, storage, interconnection and other cleaner sources could reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while strengthening the country’s energy security.
The figure of 84 per cent, against an EU average of 29 per cent, shows just how considerable that challenge remains.