Electricity prices in Latvia
What a household in Latvia pays for electricity, where the power comes from, and how the country differs from its neighbours.
Latvian electricity is largely the story of one river. Three hydropower stations on the Daugava, owned by the state company Latvenergo, often supply around half of everything the country generates, and gas-fired combined heat and power plants in Riga provide much of the rest. Output therefore follows the seasons: plentiful during the spring flood, much thinner in a dry late summer or on a cold, windless winter evening.
The wholesale price is set the day before for a single Latvian bidding zone. Strong links to Estonia and Lithuania mean Latvia usually shares its price with at least one of them, so most of the time the Latvian figure is really a Baltic one.
The exchange's hourly prices in Latvia may not be freely republished, so this page does not show them. The household prices here are Eurostat's official figures, updated every six months.
Where does the electricity in Latvia come from?
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh).
Household price since 2023
Average price per kWh, all-in, for a household using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year. Source: Eurostat (nrg_pc_204).
A household in Latvia using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 24.1 c/kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, 1% less than a year before (Eurostat).
Eurostat's figure for each half-year, with taxes, levies, network costs and VAT. Updated twice a year.
How the electricity price works in Latvia
Open market, Baltic price
Latvia is the LV bidding zone in the European day-ahead market coupling, with Nord Pool as the main exchange for the Baltic states. Households have bought electricity on the open market since January 2015, when the regulated tariff for them ended. Latvenergo, selling under its Elektrum brand, is still by far the largest supplier, but other companies compete with fixed-price and exchange-linked offers. The Public Utilities Commission (SPRK) approves network tariffs; Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) runs the high-voltage grid and Sadales tīkls most of the distribution network.
Grid charges, support levy and VAT
The energy price is only the first line on a Latvian bill. Distribution and transmission are charged according to tariffs approved by SPRK. For many years the bill also carried the mandatory procurement component, known as OIK, which paid for support to renewable and cogeneration plants; its level has been changed several times as the scheme was reformed. VAT is added on top of everything. Since the network part moves slowly, month-to-month changes come mostly from the exchange price and from the terms of the supply contract.
Spring floods, gas and the neighbours
No single factor matters as much in Latvia as the flow of the Daugava. When snow melts in spring, the hydropower plants run hard and Latvian prices often fall towards the Nordic level; in a dry year the country must import more and pay the regional price. The gas price matters whenever the Riga plants set the price, typically in cold periods with little water and wind. And because Latvia lies in the middle of the Baltic chain, the cables from Estonia to Finland and from Lithuania to Sweden and Poland affect its price almost as much as its own power stations.
Daugava water and Riga heat
The backbone is the Daugava cascade, with the Pļaviņas, Ķegums and Riga hydropower plants, built during the Soviet era and modernised since. The second pillar is gas burned in the Riga combined heat and power plants, which also heat much of the capital; the large underground gas store at Inčukalns has long supported that role. Wood and other biomass fuel smaller heat and power plants around the country. Solar has grown fast in recent years, while wind is still small, though several large onshore projects are being developed.
Hydropower between oil shale and wind
Each Baltic state makes its electricity differently. Estonia built its system on oil shale and is now adding wind and solar; Lithuania has become the region's wind leader and imports through cables to Sweden and Poland. Latvia's hydro gives it something the neighbours lack: power that can be stored in the reservoirs for hours and released when the price is high. In wet periods Latvia sells to both neighbours; in dry ones it buys from them.
Latvia compared with its neighbours
In 2024, hydro made 51%, gas made 26% and bioenergy made 10% of the electricity generated in Latvia. Wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and bioenergy together made 73% of generation in Latvia.
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh). Pumped hydro is left out.
Voltly does not cover Latvia yet
Voltly shows hourly prices in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium.
Voltly is for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Questions about the electricity price in Latvia
- What does an ordinary household in Latvia pay for electricity?
- A household in Latvia using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 24.1 c/kWh per kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, according to Eurostat. The price varies with the network company and the contract.
- How much of the electricity in Latvia comes from hydro?
- 51% of the electricity generated in Latvia came from hydro in 2024 (Eurostat), the largest single source.
- How does the power mix in Latvia compare with the neighbours?
- In 2024: Latvia: hydro 51%, gas 26%; Estonia: coal, lignite and peat 23%, bioenergy 21%; Lithuania: wind 46%, solar 19%.
- Why are there no hourly Latvian prices on this page?
- Latvia's day-ahead prices are calculated in the European market coupling and published by Nord Pool, whose data cannot be freely republished. To keep the page lawful, it shows Eurostat's official household prices instead, which include network charges, levies and taxes.
- Why does Latvia produce most of its electricity in spring?
- Because the Daugava carries the most water when snow melts, usually in April and May. The three hydropower plants on the river then run close to full capacity, often enough for Latvia to export. Later in the year the flow drops, and gas-fired plants and imports have to fill the gap.
- Is Latvia self-sufficient in electricity?
- Not over a whole year in most recent years. In months with a strong river flow, hydropower and the Riga plants can cover demand and leave a surplus for export. In dry periods and in winter, Latvia relies on imports through Estonia and Lithuania, so over a full year it has generally been a net importer.