Review of the European Power Sector in 2015

The report reviews the European power sector in 2015, noting a record increase in renewables generation that was largely offset by increased electricity demand and a decline in nuclear and hydro output. Consequently, power sector CO2 emissions fell by only an estimated 0.5% in 2015, following a much larger 7.5% drop in 2014. The author maintains a forecast that EU ETS emissions will fall 21% from 2014 to 2020, potentially leading to 30% economy-wide CO2 cuts by 2020.

• European renewable generation saw a record increase of 87TWh in 2015, which represents 2.5% of European electricity demand. This growth was heavily concentrated in three countries: Germany, the UK, and Italy, which all set new national records for the size of the increase.
• Despite the record growth in renewables, power sector CO2 emissions are estimated to have fallen by only 0.5% (5Mt) in 2015. This is attributed to a rebound in electricity demand, which rose around 1.1%, and a decrease in nuclear and hydro levels, which kept fossil generation roughly unchanged.
• The decline in coal generation in the UK was offset by increases in coal generation in the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland. In the Netherlands, coal generation is estimated to have increased by 11TWh due to 3200MW of new coal plants coming online, creating a temporary overlap before older plants are legally required to close by 2017.
• Germany's record jump in renewables did not lead to a decrease in lignite and hard coal generation because Germany exported record amounts of electricity. These exports were facilitated by lower hydro generation in France and Austria, and lower nuclear generation in Belgium, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
• Since 2010, the fall in conventional generation has been primarily driven by gas rather than coal; gas generation fell by the same amount that renewables increased. Lignite generation in 2015 remained at the same level as in 2010.
• The forecast for EU ETS stationary emissions for 2015 is a 0.7% decrease to 1802Mt, down from 1814Mt in 2014. The long-term forecast remains unchanged, predicting a 21% fall in emissions from 2014 to 2020, which would align with a 30% economy-wide CO2 cut by 2020, exceeding the EU target of 20%.
• Several factors are expected to accelerate the fall of emissions in 2016, including the closure of 2.7GW of old Dutch coal plants, the closure of approximately 5.8GW of UK coal power stations in March 2016, and the closure of 4.3GW of other old coal plants across the EU.

APA

Jones, D. (2016). Review of the European Power Sector in 2015. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Sandbag_2015_Review_of_Euro_Power_Sector.pdf

Chicago

Jones, David. Review of the European Power Sector in 2015. Ember, 2016. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Sandbag_2015_Review_of_Euro_Power_Sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=David |title=Review of the European Power Sector in 2015 |publisher=Ember |date=19 January 2016 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Sandbag_2015_Review_of_Euro_Power_Sector.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2016review, author = {Jones, David}, title = {{Review of the European Power Sector in 2015}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Sandbag_2015_Review_of_Euro_Power_Sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }