European Electricity Review 2023

In 2022, wind and solar generated a record 22% of EU electricity, overtaking fossil gas (20%). Despite this, EU power sector emissions rose by 3.9% due to a 185 TWh generation gap caused by a severe drought affecting hydro power and unexpected French nuclear outages. This gap was partially filled by a 7% increase in coal generation. However, electricity demand fell by 7.9% in Q4 2022, and coal generation declined in the final four months of the year. Ember projects a 20% plummet in EU fossil generation in 2023 as hydro and nuclear capacity recover and renewable deployment accelerates.

• Wind and solar power reached a record share of 22% of EU electricity generation in 2022, surpassing fossil gas for the first time.
• EU power sector CO2 emissions increased by 3.9% (+26 MtCO2) in 2022 compared to 2021, with Germany recording the largest absolute increase of 13 MtCO2.
• A combined shortfall of 185 TWh in nuclear and hydro generation in 2022—driven by a 1-in-500 year drought and French nuclear outages—led to a 7% (+28 TWh) increase in coal generation.
• EU electricity demand fell by 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, a decline attributed to mild weather, affordability concerns, and energy efficiency improvements.
• Solar generation grew by 39 TWh (+24%) in 2022, with 41 GW of new capacity installed. This growth avoided approximately
  49 billion in gas costs based on 2022 TTF prices.
• The Netherlands emerged as a solar leader in 2022, with solar producing 14% of its electricity and overtaking coal for the first time.
• Nuclear generation in the EU fell by 16% (119 TWh) in 2022, the largest year-on-year decline on record, primarily due to outages in France and plant closures in Germany.
• Hydro generation fell by 19% (66 TWh) in 2022, reaching its lowest level since at least 2000, with the most severe impacts in the Alpine and Iberian regions.
• Ember estimates that EU fossil generation could decrease by 20% (211 TWh) in 2023, with gas generation expected to fall the fastest due to high costs relative to coal.
• The report argues that Europe can achieve a fully decarbonised power system by 2035 without compromising security of supply or incurring extra costs above stated plans.

APA

Jones, D., Brown, S., Czyżak, P., Broadbent, H., Bruce-Lockhart, C., Dizon, R., Ewen, M., Fulghum, N., Copsey, L., Candlin, A., Rosslowe, C., & Fox, H. (2023). European Electricity Review 2023. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/01/Report-European-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Dave, Sarah Brown, Paweł Czyżak, Hannah Broadbent, Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart, Reynaldo Dizon, Matt Ewen, et al. European Electricity Review 2023. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/01/Report-European-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{jones2023european, author = {Jones, Dave and Brown, Sarah and Czyżak, Paweł and Broadbent, Hannah and Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea and Dizon, Reynaldo and Ewen, Matt and Fulghum, Nicolas and Copsey, Libby and Candlin, Alison and Rosslowe, Chris and Fox, Harriet}, title = {{European Electricity Review 2023}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/01/Report-European-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }