Headline Trends EU-27 Power Sector in 2021

This report by Ember analyzes the trends in the EU-27 power sector for 2021, focusing on electricity demand, the shift in fuel sources, the growth of renewables, and the resulting impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

• EU-wide electricity demand in 2021 nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, rising 3.4% (+95 TWh) year-on-year after a 3.5% (-100 TWh) drop between 2019 and 2020. However, because 2021 was colder than 2019, the report suggests that weather-corrected demand has not yet fully recovered.
• Fossil fuel generation in the EU-27 rose 4% (+43 TWh) in 2021 to 1069 TWh, driven by recovering electricity demand, though it remained 6% lower than 2019 levels. Fossil fuels accounted for 37% of EU electricity production in 2021, with gas providing 18% (524 TWh) and coal providing 15% (436 TWh).
• A significant price shock in 2021, where gas prices rose 585%, made fossil gas more expensive than coal from July onwards. This shifted the replacement dynamic: while renewables predominantly replaced coal from 2011 to 2019, 52% of new renewable generation since 2019 has replaced gas.
• Renewable electricity reached a record 1068 TWh in 2021, accounting for 37% of EU production. Wind and solar output reached a record 547 TWh, surpassing fossil gas (524 TWh) for the first time and providing 19% of EU electricity.
• Spain, the Netherlands, and Greece are the primary drivers of EU wind and solar growth, with each seeing market shares grow by approximately 10 percentage points over three years. These three countries account for over half of all EU wind and solar output growth since 2019.
• Nuclear power output in the EU was 733 TWh in 2021, which is 4% lower than in 2019 due to planned reactor closures. The decline was led by France, Sweden, and Germany, all of which closed at least 1.8 GW of capacity since the end of 2019.
• EU power sector emissions in 2021 were 700 MT CO2eq, representing an average annual decline of 2.5% since 2019. This is less than half the 6% annual decline required to reach zero emissions by 2035 to align with a 1.5C target.

APA

Ember (2022). Headline Trends EU-27 Power Sector in 2021. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/headline-trends-eer2022/

Chicago

Ember. Headline Trends EU-27 Power Sector in 2021. 2022. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/headline-trends-eer2022/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Headline Trends EU-27 Power Sector in 2021 |date=1 February 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/headline-trends-eer2022/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2022headline, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Headline Trends EU-27 Power Sector in 2021}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/headline-trends-eer2022/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }