FRANKFURT, July 29 (Reuters) - Germany's energy use rose 2.3% in the first half of 2025, industry statistics group AGEB said on Tuesday, citing cooler weather and a small uptick in economic performance as drivers.

Energy usage in Europe's biggest economy increased to 187.3 million metric tons of coal equivalent, an industry standard measure, from 183.1 million in the first six months of 2024, AGEB's January-June report showed.

Usage for the whole of 2024, opens new tab was 359.6 million tons, down 1.1% on the year before.

In the first half of 2025, natural gas usage rose by 4.7%, while light heating oil was up by nearly 18% due to weather patterns, AGEB said.

Usage of imported hard coal was flat overall, but varied between sectors.

Coal inputs in power stations rose by 23% as more conventional power was needed to offset weather-related declines in wind and hydro-electric generation. However, photovoltaic power consumption increased by 25%.

The steel industry, on the other hand, used 12% less hard coal, in line with its lower pig iron production.

AGEB estimated that the increase in thermal power plants' production led to 2.6% more CO2 emissions in the six months.