Shocked into action

European countries are accelerating their transition to renewable energy to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels. EU national plans now target a 63% share of renewable electricity by 2030, with planned fossil fuel generation slashed by 31% compared to 2019 strategies. Major importers like Germany and Italy have significantly raised their renewable targets, while several Central and Eastern European nations have announced coal phase-out dates. The REPowerEU proposal further aims for a 69% renewable electricity share by 2030 and the deployment of 10 million heat pumps.

• European Union countries have significantly reduced their planned fossil fuel electricity generation for 2030, cutting it by 31% (272 TWh) compared to the 2019 National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). Planned generation has dropped from 867 TWh in previous plans to 595 TWh.
• The share of electricity from renewables in EU country strategies for 2030 has increased to 63%, up from 55% under the 2019 strategies. The European Commission's REPowerEU proposal aims to further increase this share to 69% by 2030.
• Nineteen European governments have accelerated their decarbonization efforts over the last two years. Major importers of Russian fossil fuels are among the most ambitious: Germany has increased its 2030 renewable electricity target to 80% (from 62%), and Italy has increased its target from 60% to 70%.
• Several countries have established specific coal phase-out dates between 2020 and 2022, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia. Germany has accelerated its coal phase-out target date from 2038 to 2030.
• Five countries—Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark—have introduced measures to decarbonize heat, industry, and transport. The EU specifically targets the deployment of 10 million heat pump units over the next five years and has doubled funding to EUR 3 billion for innovative electrification and hydrogen applications in industry.
• The REPowerEU package is estimated to require an additional investment of EUR 210 billion until 2027 beyond the Fit for 55 goals, but it is projected to save up to EUR 100 billion annually in fossil fuel imports by 2030, including EUR 80 billion in gas, EUR 12 billion in oil, and EUR 1.7 billion in coal.

APA

Czyżak, P., Uusivuori, E., Ilas, A., & Candlin, A. (2022). Shocked into action. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/EU-national-plans-slash-fossil-fuels.pdf

Chicago

Czyżak, Paweł, Erika Uusivuori, Andrei Ilas, and Alison Candlin. Shocked into action. Ember, 2022. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/EU-national-plans-slash-fossil-fuels.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Czyżak |first1=Paweł |last2=Uusivuori |first2=Erika |last3=Ilas |first3=Andrei |last4=Candlin |first4=Alison |title=Shocked into action |publisher=Ember |date=2 June 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/EU-national-plans-slash-fossil-fuels.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{czyak2022shocked, author = {Czyżak, Paweł and Uusivuori, Erika and Ilas, Andrei and Candlin, Alison}, title = {{Shocked into action}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/EU-national-plans-slash-fossil-fuels.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }