Indicator Assessment

Primary energy consumption by fuel

Indicator Assessment

Prod-ID: IND-1-en

Also known as: ENER 026

Published 14 Sep 2010 Last modified 11 May 2021

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Topics: Energy

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Fossil fuels continue to dominate total energy consumption in EU-27. Total gross inland energy consumption increased on average by 0.5 % per annum in the EU-27 during the period 1990-2007 (8.7% overall), thus offsetting some of the environmental benefits resulted from fuel switching. From 2006 to 2007, the gross inland energy consumption however decreased by 1.1 %. The share of fossil fuels in gross inland energy consumption in 2007 was 78.6%, compared to 83.1% in 1990. The share of renewable energy sources was 7.8 % of total gross inland consumption in 2007, almost double compared to 1990 (4.4%). The share of nuclear energy in total gross inland consumption increased slightly, to 13.4% in 2007 from 12.2 % in 1990.

Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27, 1990-2007

Note: Primary energy consumption by fuel in the EU-27, 1990-2007

Data source:

Eurostat. Energy statistics: Supply, transformation, consumption - all products - annual data. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/energy/data/database

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Average annual growth rates for different fuels in the EU-27, 1990-2007 and 2006-2007

Note: Average annual growth rates for different fuels in the EU-27, 1990-2007 and 2006-2007

Data source:

Eurostat. Energy statistics: Supply, transformation, consumption - all products - annual data. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/energy/data/database

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LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) emissions of energy technologies for electricity production

Note: LCA emissions of energy technologies for electricity production. Renewable energy consumption is a measure of the contribution from technologies that are, in general, more environmentally benign, as they produce no (or very little) net CO2 and usually significantly lower levels of other pollutants. Renewable energy can, however, have impacts on landscapes and ecosystems (for example, potential flooding and changed water levels from large hydro power) and the incineration of municipal waste (which is generally made up of both renewable and non-renewable material) may also generate local air pollution.

Data source:

EEA (2009) - Review and analysis of emissions' life cycle analysis studies in the field of conventional and renewable energy generation technologies. Copenhagen, EEA, February 2009

"Life Cycle Analysis of GHG and Air Pollutant Emissions from Renewable and Conventional Electricity, Heating, and Transport Fuel Options in the EU until 2030”, ETC/ACC Technical Paper 2009/18

http://acm.eionet.europa.eu/reports/docs//ETCACC_TP_2009_18_LCA_GHG_AE_2013-2030.pdf

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Between 1990 and 2007, total gross inland energy consumption in the EU-27 increased by 8.7 %. Between 2006 and 2007 however, gross inland consumption decreased by 1.1 %, partly due a decrease in households energy consumption (see also ENER 16). For details see Figure 1 and Table 1. Due to a warmer weather and decreased household energy consumption in EU-27, the greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 1.2% in 2007 compared to 2006 (see also ENER01). For other emissions (ozone precursors, acidifying substances, particulate matter, etc see also ENER 05, ENER 06, ENER 07, ENER 08 and ENER 09)

Between 1990 and 2007, the share of fossil fuels (coal, lignite, oil and natural gas) in gross inland consumption of the EU-27 declined slightly from 83.1 % in 1990 to 78.6 % in 2007. In absolute terms, the total amount of fossil fuels consumed increased by 2.9 % over the same period of time. During this period, the share of renewables in gross inland consumption increased from 4.4 % (1990) to 7.8 % (2007) (see also ENER 29) while the share of energy consumption from nuclear increased from 12.2 %(1990) to 13.4%(2007) (see also ENER13). From 2006 to 2007, the average annual growth rates have declined for shares of most fuels except renewable energy (which kept increasing at a brisk pace by 8.5%) and coal (whose share increased by 1.9% in contrast with the trend for the whole period). See Figure 2 for details.

For the non-EU EEA member states, the gross inland energy consumption increased by 59.1 % mainly in Turkey. In 2007, in contrast to the EU-27, the gross inland energy consumption kept rising by 5.5 % compared to 2006. The shares by fuel in 2007 are comparable to the shares by fuel in the EU-27 countries, except for nuclear and renewables. In 2007, nuclear energy consumption accounted for 4.3 % in gross inland consumption of these countries. In contrast, renewables had a share of 19.2 %, higher than the EU-27 average, particularly because of Iceland and Norway where the shares are 74.9 % and 46.7 % respectively.

The share of coal and lignite in gross inland consumption in 2007 was 18.3 % compared to 27.3 % in 1990. Over this period, the absolute consumption of coal and lignite decreased by 26.9 % at an annual average rate of 1.8 %. Between 2006 and 2007 however, the share of solid fuels in gross inland consumption in the EU-27 increased by 1.9%. This increase may have been partly due to the narrowing of the gas – coal price differential (the main reason why there has been a significant switch from coal to gas in power generation). Increased use of solid fuels also has also implications for European import dependency as 41% of the coal based gross inland consumption was imported in 2007, mostly hard coal – 94% (see also ENER 12 for details).

The share of natural gas in total gross inland consumption increased from 17.7 % in 1990 to 23.9 % in 2007. Over the period, the consumption in natural gas increased by 46.6%, second highest rate after renewables. This is due to switching from coal to gas which occurred in the power generation sector (but not exclusively), triggered by environmental concerns and economic reasons (price differential between coal and gas in 1990s). In absolute terms consumption increased at an average annual rate of 2.3 % over the period 1990-2007. However, between 2006 and 2007, the consumption of natural gas decreased by 1.3% (see Figure 2 below). Natural gas use also has implications for European import dependency as 60% of the gas-based gross inland consumption was imported in 2007 (see also ENER 12 for details). The increased penetration of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), although does not reduce the dependency on imports, it does help in diversifying suppliers. For instance, LNG is already becoming a significant source of energy in Spain with main supplying countries including Trinidad Tobago, Qatar, Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria.

The share of Oil (crude oil and petroleum products) decreased from 38.1 % in 1990 to 36.4 % in 2007 and continues to be the major primary fuel in the transport sector. In absolute terms, consumption increased at an average annual rate of 0.2 % over the period 1990-2007, mainly as a result of increased demand for petrol and diesel in the transport sector, increase partially offset by a decline in the use of oil power generation. Between 2006 and 2007, the oil consumption decreased by 2.4%, partly because of an increase in biofuels consumption in the transport sector and partially because of the overall decrease in gross inland energy consumption. In 2007, the share of crude oil and oil products in total gross energy consumption was the lowest since 1995. In EU-27, in 2007, 90% of the crude oil and oil products consumed were imported (see also ENER 12).

The renewables share in total gross inland consumption increased from 4.4 % in 1990 to 7.8 % in 2007 (see also ENER 29). Renewables (together with natural gas) were the fastest growing energy source between 1990 and 2007 due primarily to environmental and security of supply concerns as well as economic reasons in the case of natural gas. However, despite increased support at the EU and national level, their contribution in total gross inland consumption remains low at 7.8 % in 2007. In absolute terms consumption increased at an average annual rate of 3.9 % over the period 1990-2007. In recent years however, the pace of renewable penetration in EU-27 accelerated. Between 2006 and 2007, the consumption from renewable energy increased by 8.5%, double the average rate over the whole period 1990-2007.

The share of nuclear energy increased from 12.2 % in 1990 to 13.4 % in 2007. In absolute terms, energy consumption from nuclear increased at an average annual rate of 1.0 % over the period 1990-2007. While nuclear power produces less greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution over the life cycle compared to conventional sources, there is a risk of accidental radioactive releases, and highly radioactive waste (for which no generally acceptable disposal route has yet been established) is accumulating. In 2007, 34,216 tonnes of heavy metals contained in high level nuclear waste was in storage, up 13.2% from 2005 (see also ENER 13).

Supporting information

Indicator definition

Total energy consumption or gross inland energy consumption represents the quantity of energy necessary to satisfy the inland consumption of a country. It is calculated as the sum of the gross inland consumption of energy from solid fuels, oil, gas, nuclear and renewable sources, and a small component of ‘other’ sources (industrial waste and net imports of electricity). The relative contribution of a specific fuel is measured by the ratio between the energy consumption originating from that specific fuel and the total gross inland energy consumption calculated for a calendar year.

Units

Energy consumption is measured in thousand tonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe). The share of each fuel in total energy consumption is presented in the form of a percentage.

Projections are for 2020-2030 from the POLES (IPTS) Baseline and GHG Reduction Scenario, from the WEO 2009 (IEA) Reference and 450 Stabilization Case and from PRIMES (EC) Baseline and Reference scenarios

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

The level, the evolution as well as the structure of the total gross inland energy consumption provide an indication of the extent environmental pressures caused by energy production and consumption are likely to diminish or not. The type and magnitude of the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption, such as resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutant emissions, water pollution, accumulation of radioactive waste, etc., strongly depend on the type and amount of fuel consumed as well as abatement technologies applied. The indicator displays data disaggregated by fuel type as the associated environmental impacts are fuel-specific.

The consumption of fossil fuels (such as crude oil, oil products, hard coal, lignite and natural and derived gas) provides a proxy indicator for resource depletion, CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution levels (e.g. SO2 and NOX), water pollution and biodiversity loss. The degree of environmental impact depends on the relative share of different fossil fuels and the extent to which pollution abatement measures are used. Natural gas, for instance, has approximately 40 % less carbon than coal per unit of energy content, and 25 % less carbon content than oil, and contains only marginal quantities of sulphur.
The level of nuclear energy consumption provides an indication of the trends in the amount of nuclear waste generated and of the risks associated with radioactive leaks and accidents. Increasing consumption of nuclear energy at the expense of fossil fuels would on the other hand contributes to reductions in CO2 emissions.
Renewable energy consumption is a measure of the contribution from technologies that are, in general, more environmentally benign, as they produce no (or very little) net CO2 and usually significantly lower levels of other pollutants. Renewable energy can, however, have impacts on landscapes and ecosystems (for example, potential flooding and changed water levels from large hydro power) and the incineration of municipal waste (which is generally made up of both renewable and non-renewable material) may also generate local air pollution.

Scientific references

COD/2007/0297 COD/2007/0297 - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the Community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles
COD/2008/0013 COD/2008/0013 - Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading system of the Community
COD/2008/0014 COD/2008/0014 - Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the effort of Member States to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Community’s greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments up to 2020
COM(2007) 18 final/2 COM(2007) 18 final/2 - Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of road transport fuels and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC, as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC
COM(2008) 778 final/2 COM(2008) 778 final/2 - Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related products
COM(2008) 781 final COM(2008) 781 final - Second Strategic Energy Review
Directive 2001/80/EC Directive 2001/80/EC - Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants
Directive 2002/91/EC Directive 2002/91/EC - Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings
Directive 2005/32/EC Directive 2005/32/EC - Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products and amending Council Directive 92/42/EEC and Directives 96/57/EC and 2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Counci
Directive 2009/28/EC Directive 2009/28/EC - Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC, Brussels, 2009
EU (2009) Climate action and renewable energy package (CARE Package) http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/energy-package http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/climate_action.htm
UNFCCC (1997) Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted at COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997

Policy context and targets

Context description

Environmental context

The level, the evolution as well as the structure of the total gross inland energy consumption provide an indication of the extent environmental pressures caused by energy production and consumption are likely to diminish or not. The indicator displays data disaggregated by fuel type as the associated environmental impacts are fuel-specific.

The consumption of fossil fuels (such as crude oil, oil products, hard coal, lignite and natural and natural gas) has a number of negative effects on the environment and human health , CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution levels (e.g. SO₂and NO_X), water pollution and biodiversity loss. These effects are fuel-specific.. For instance, natural gas, for instance, has approximately 40 % less carbon than coal per unit of energy content, and 25 % less carbon content than oil, and contains only marginal quantities of sulphur (see Figure 3 below). There are other environmental pressures coming from energy production: air pollution, land –use changes and crop-escape (that could result in large scale introduction of invasive species) from biomass, surface and groundwater pollution, ecosystem services and biodiversity loss, etc. The pressure on the environment and human health from energy consumption can be diminished by decreasing energy consumption and switching to energy sources that have a lower impact on the environment and human health.While nuclear power produces less greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution over the life cycle compared to conventional sources, there is a risk of accidental radioactive releases, and highly radioactive waste (for which no generally acceptable disposal route has yet been established) is accumulating.

Policy context

A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 (COM(2011) 112 final)
Presents a roadmap for action in line with a 80-95% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050.

Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 (COM(2011) 109 final)
Proposes additional measures to achieve the 20 % primary energy saving target by 2020.

Energy 2020 – A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy (COM(2010) 639 final)
Energy efficiency is the first of the five priorities of the new energy strategy defined by the Commission.

Council adopted on 6 April 2009 the climate-energy legislative package containing measures to fight climate change and promote renewable energy. This package is designed to achieve the EU's overall environmental target of a 20 % reduction in greenhouse gases and a 20 % share of renewable energy in the EU's total energy consumption by 2020.The climate action and renewable energy (CARE) package includes the following main policy documents

Directive 2009/29/EC of the European parliament and of the Council amending directive 2003/87/ec so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the community
Directive 2009/31/ EC of the European parliament and of the Council on the geological storage of carbon dioxide
Directive 2009/28/ EC of the European parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
Community guidelines on state aid for environmental protection (2008/c 82/01)
Directive 2008/101/ EC of the European parliament and of the Council amending directive 2003/87/ec so as to include aviation activities in the scheme for greenhouse gas Emission allowance trading within the community
Regulation (EC) no 443/2009 of the European parliament and of the Council setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the community’s integrated approach to reduce CO₂emissions from light-duty vehicles

Large Combustion Plant Directive; Directive 2001/80/EC
Aims to control emissions of SO₂, NO_x and particulate matter from large combustion plants (> 50 MW).

Second Strategic Energy Review; COM(2008) 781 final
Strategic review on short, medium and long term targets on EU energy security.

Eco-Design Directive; COM(2008) 778 final/2
Directive on intensification of existing regulation on energy-efficiency of products.

Energy Performance Buildings Directive; Directive 2002/91/EC
The Member States must apply minimum requirements as regards the energy performance of new and existing buildings, ensure the certification of their energy performance and require the regular inspection of boilers and air conditioning systems in buildings.

Energy Performance Buildings Directive (recast); Directive 2010/31/EU
Strengthens the energy performance requirements of the 2002 Directive.

Directive on GHG emissions of fuels and biofuels; COM(2007) 18 final/2
Sets targets for the GHG emissions from different fuel types (e.g. by improving refinery technologies) and allows the blending of up to 10 % of biofuels into diesel and petrol.

Targets

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Methodology of data manipulation:
Average annual rate of growth calculated using: [(last year/base year) ^ (1/number of years) –1]*100The coding (used in the Eurostat New Cronos database) and specific components of the indicator are:

Numerator: solid fuels 2000 gross inland consumption 100900 + oil 3000 gross inland consumption 100900 + gas 4000 gross inland consumption 100900 + nuclear energy 5100 gross inland consumption 100900 + renewable energies 5500 gross inland consumption 100900 + industrial waste 7100 gross inland consumption + 6000 electrical energy 100900 gross inland consumption.
Denominator: (total) gross inland consumption (of energy) 100900

Geographical coverage:
The Agency had 32 member countries at the time of writing of this fact sheet. These are the 27 European Union Member States and Turkey, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Temporal coverage: 1990-2009

Methodology and frequency of data collection:
Data collected annually.
Eurostat definitions for energy statistics http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_SDDS/en/nrg_quant_esms.htm

Methodology for gap filling

No gap filling necessary

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

The share of energy consumption for a particular fuel could decrease even though the actual amount of energy used from that fuel grows, as the development of the share for a particular fuel depends on the change in its consumption relative to the total consumption of energy.

From an environmental point of view, however, the relative contribution of each fuel has to be put in the wider context. Absolute (as opposed to relative) volumes of energy consumption for each fuel are the key to understanding the environmental pressures. These depend on the total amount of energy consumption as well as on the fuel mix used and the extent to which pollution abatement technologies are used.

Total energy consumption may not accurately represent the energy needs of a country (in terms of final energy demand). Fuel switching may in some cases have a significant effect in changing total energy consumption even though there is no change in (final) energy demand. This is because different fuels and different technologies convert primary energy into useful energy with different efficiency rates.

Data sets uncertainty

Officially reported data, updated annually. No obvious weaknesses.

Data have been traditionally compiled by Eurostat through the annual Joint Questionnaires, shared by Eurostat and the International Energy Agency, following a well established and harmonised methodology. Methodological information on the annual Joint Questionnaires and data compilation can be found in Eurostat's web page for metadata on energy statistics.

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_SDDS/en/nrg_quant_esms.htm

Rationale uncertainty

Data sources

Total primary energy supply by product (IEA)
provided by
Energy statistics (Eurostat)
provided by Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat)

Other info

DPSIR: Driving force
Typology: Descriptive indicator (Type A - What is happening to the environment and to humans?)

Indicator codes

ENER 026

Frequency of updates

Updates are scheduled once per year

EEA Contact Info info@eea.europa.eu

Permalinks

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Older versions

05 Jul 2010 - Primary energy consumption by fuel

28 Apr 2008 - Primary energy consumption by fuel

22 May 2007 - EN26 Total Energy Consumption by Fuel

23 Mar 2007 - Primary energy consumption by fuel

12 Apr 2006 - Primary energy consumption by fuel

27 Sep 2005 - Primary energy consumption by fuel

Geographic coverage

Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom