Preliminary data from 2023 reveals a significant shift in the European Union’s energy landscape, with a marked decrease in fossil fuel supplies and a notable rise in renewable energy. According to Eurostat, the EU’s natural gas supply fell to 12.8 million terajoules (TJ), a 7.4% decline from 2022, marking the lowest level since 1995.
Coal supplies experienced even sharper drops. Brown coal supply plummeted by 24.2% to 222,840 million tonnes, and hard coal supply decreased by 20.4% to 130,437 million tonnes, both figures representing record lows since the start of the data series. Oil and petroleum products supply also declined, totaling 526,862 thousand tonnes, a 1.5% drop compared to the previous year.
Conversely, the supply of renewable energies saw a 4.4% increase compared to 2022, amounting to around 10.9 million TJ in 2023.
Renewables Lead EU Electricity Production
Renewable energy emerged as the leading source of electricity in the EU, accounting for 44.7% of all electricity production in 2023. Renewables generated 1.21 million Gigawatt-hours (GWh), marking a significant 12.4% increase from 2022.
In contrast, electricity generated from fossil fuels fell by 19.7%, contributing 0.88 million GWh or 32.5% of the total electricity production. Nuclear plants produced 0.62 million GWh or 22.8% of the EU’s energy production, reflecting a modest 1.2% increase from the previous year.
This data, published by Eurostat, underscores the EU’s ongoing transition towards renewable energy and highlights the decline in reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear energy in the region’s energy mix.
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