Electricity companies in Europe - statistics & facts

At the end of the 18th century, the English economy could rely on the cheapest power worldwide. This allowed this country, and Europe afterward, to develop the technologies used during the Industrial Revolution. In 2022, some of the main global electric utilities are still headquartered in Europe: the French EDF, the Italian Enel, the German E.ON, and the Spanish Iberdrola were among the 10 leading firms for electricity sales revenue worldwide.

Multinational electricity companies in Europe

Although the headquarters of EDF, Enel, E.ON, and Iberdrola are located in Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Essen (Germany), and Bilbao (Spain), respectively, these multinational firms also operate outside the borders of their countries. In 2021, a bit more than half of EDF’s revenue was generated in France, while the remaining share came from the production and supply of electricity in the rest of the world. In Europe for instance, EDF owns EDF Energy in the United Kingdom (since 2009, previously called British Energy), Edison S.p.A. (one of the main electricity providers in Italy, acquired by EDF in 2012), the Belgian Luminus (bought by EDF between 2009 and 2011), and roughly 70 percent of the French Electricité de Strasbourg and Dalkia. EDF also has branches in Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Another European electricity company with a worldwide presence is Enel. Its subsidiaries include one of the largest electric utilities in Spain, Endesa, majority-owned by Enel since 2009.

Liberalization of the electricity market in the European Union

The EU has been working towards the liberalization of the energy market since the late 1990s, removing state-regulated country-based monopolies and trade barriers to increase competition. In a free European market, customers will purchase energy at market-regulated prices after freely choosing their supplier. Germany was one of the first countries to liberalize its energy market before 2000. In contrast, 60 percent of electricity was still sold at regulated tariffs in France in 2022. EDF, owned by the French state at over 95 percent, is the main provider of electricity within the regulated market. In Italy, the volume of electricity sold at regulated tariffs decreased exponentially over the past few years, and the Italian government planned to achieve a complete liberalization of the electricity market by 2024.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Market share of EDF in France
79%
Market share of Enel in Italy
17.3%
Market share of Iberdrola in free electricity market in Spain
34%
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Selected European electric utility companies as of September 2023, based on market capitalization (in billion euros)

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Selected European power utilities 2023, by market capitalization

Share of electricity produced by the leading electricity-producing company in European Union countries in 2020

Electricity

Share of production of major electricity company in the EU 2020, by country

Electricity generation in the European Union from 2020 to 2022, by fuel (in terawatt-hours)

Electricity

Power production in the European Union 2020-2022, by fuel

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Overview

6

Overview

France

6

France

Italy

7

Italy

Spain

7

Spain

Germany

2

Germany

United Kingdom

3

United Kingdom

Company revenue

6

Company revenue

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Energy sector in Spain
Energy sector in Spain
Electricity in Europe
Electricity in Europe
Electricity market in France
Electricity market in France

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