EU Electricity Trends

In 2022, EU electricity demand fell by 2.7% to 2809 TWh, driven by mild weather and demand reduction measures. Despite this, power sector CO2 emissions rose by 3.9% due to shortfalls in nuclear and hydro generation, which necessitated increased fossil fuel use. Wind and solar generation continued to grow, reaching a 22% market share, while nuclear generation fell to its lowest share in 40 years at 22%.

• EU electricity demand decreased by 2.7% in 2022, falling from 2888 TWh in 2021 to 2809 TWh. This decline was most pronounced in the fourth quarter of 2022, which saw a year-on-year drop of 8.5% compared to Q4 2021, attributed to mild weather and demand reduction measures linked to high prices.
• EU power sector CO2 emissions increased by 3.9% (+26 MtCO2) in 2022 compared to 2021. Germany saw the largest absolute increase in emissions (+13 MtCO2), while Poland recorded the greatest reduction among EU countries (-3.7 MtCO2).
• Generation from nuclear and hydro sources declined significantly in 2022. Nuclear generation dropped by 119 TWh (-16%) to a 22% share, the lowest in 40 years, largely due to French plant outages and German plant closures. Hydro generation fell by 66 TWh (-19%) because of prolonged summer heat waves.
• Wind and solar power continued to expand, with wind increasing by 33 TWh (+8.6%) and solar by 39 TWh (+24%), bringing their combined market share to 22% in 2022. This growth has contributed to a long-term decline in coal's share of the electricity mix, which fell from 30% in 2000 to 16% in 2022.
• While overall fossil fuel generation has declined over two decades, fossil gas has increased its share of the EU mix from 13% in 2000 to 20% in 2022. As of 2022, clean sources produce 61% (1,692 TWh) of EU electricity, while fossil fuels produce 39% (1,104 TWh).

APA

Ember (2023). EU Electricity Trends. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/eu-electricity-trends-eer23/

Chicago

Ember. EU Electricity Trends. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/eu-electricity-trends-eer23/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=EU Electricity Trends |date=31 January 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/eu-electricity-trends-eer23/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023electricity, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{EU Electricity Trends}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/eu-electricity-trends-eer23/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }