Primary energy consumption by fuel in Europe

Indicator definition

Primary energy consumption is defined as gross inland energy consumption minus the energy consumed for purposes other than producing useful energy (non-energy use, e.g. oil for plastics). Gross inland energy consumption represents the energy necessary to satisfy the inland energy consumption of a country. Gross inland energy consumption is calculated as follows: primary production + recovered products + total imports + variations of stocks - total exports - bunkers. The numbers here are slightly higher than those reported by Eurostat, as Eurostat's numbers do not include ambient heat from heat pumps and the transformation output of blast furnaces.

Units

Energy consumption is measured in million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe).

Policy context and targets

Context description

Environmental context

The level, evolution and structure of primary energy consumption provide an indication of the extent to which environmental pressures caused by energy production and consumption are likely to diminish or not. This 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 gases) leads to resource depletion and emissions of greenhouse gases as well as emissions of air pollutants (e.g. sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides). This, in turn, has negative consequences for public health and biodiversity. 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.

Increasing the consumption of nuclear energy at the expense of fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gas emission reductions, but comes with safety and nuclear waste issues.

Renewable energy consumption is more environmentally benign, as the exploitation of renewable energy sources does not give rise to greenhouse gas emissions (except land use change issues related to biomass and emissions related to the use of non-renewable energy during the construction of renewable energy installations). Renewable energy sources usually lead to significantly lower levels of air pollutants (except when related to biomass applications). Renewable energy can, however, affect landscapes and ecosystems (e.g. wind turbines severely affect the landscape and much land is needed for the production of biomass, which may have an impact on biodiversity).

Policy context

• The Energy Efficiency Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2002) — amending Directives 2012/27/EU, 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU, and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency. This directive puts forward a binding EU-wide 32.5 % energy savings target for 2030, following on from the existing 20 % target by 2020.

• Council Directive 2013/12/EU — Council Directive 2013/12/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency, by reason of the accession of the Republic of Croatia.

• Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action — sets out the necessary legislative foundation for reliable, inclusive, cost-efficient, transparent and predictable governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action.

• Directive (EU) 2018/844 — amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency.

• Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency — amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC.

• COM(2015) 80 final — the Energy Union Package — Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank 'A framework strategy for a resilient energy union with a forward-looking climate change policy' (COM(2015) 80 final, 25 February 2015). The Energy Union Package establishes a framework strategy for a resilient energy union with a forward-looking climate policy. It includes a roadmap that sets actions for security of supply, the internal energy market, energy efficiency, greenhouse gases, and research and innovation.  

• COM(2011) 112 — A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050. With its 'Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050', the European Commission is looking beyond the 2020 objectives and setting out a plan to meet the long-term target of reducing domestic emissions by 80 to 95 % by the middle of the century as agreed by European heads of state and governments. It shows how the sectors responsible for Europe's emissions — power generation, industry, transport, buildings and construction, as well as agriculture — can make the transition to a low-carbon economy over the coming decades.

• COM(2010) 639 — Energy 2020: A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy — Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions 'Energy 2020: A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy' (COM(2010) 639 final).

• COM(2014) 330 final — Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council 'European Energy Security Strategy' (COM(2014) 330 final, 28 May 2014). This describes the EU strategy to ensure that energy supplies are uninterrupted and energy prices remain stable.

Targets

Directive (EU) 2018/2002 on energy efficiency puts forward a binding EU-wide 32.5 % energy savings target for 2030, following on from the previously set 20 % target by 2020. Member States are requested to set indicative targets. The EU target for 2020 is to limit primary energy consumption to 1 483 Mtoe. In 2018, taken together, the sum of all individual Member States' 2020 targets for primary energy consumption was 1 533 Mtoe, which is 3.3 % higher than the 2020 target defined for the EU under the Energy Efficiency Directive (1 483 Mtoe). The 2030 targets are expressed in primary and/or final energy consumption and are relative to the levels projected for 2030 of 1 887 Mtoe for primary energy consumption and 1 416 Mtoe for final energy consumption. A 32.5 % reduction would therefore result in primary energy consumption of 1 273 Mtoe and final energy consumption of 956 Mtoe in 2030.

Related policy documents

• COM(2015) 80 final - A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy
  Energy Union Package, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank "A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy", COM(2015) 80 final, 25 February 2015. Energy Union Package establishes a Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Policy. 

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Technical information

1. Geographical coverage
   The EEA had 33 member countries at the time of writing this indicator. These are the 28 EU Member States  plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
2. Methodology and frequency of data collection
   Data are collected annually.
   Eurostat definitions for energy statistics: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/de/nrg_quant_esms.htm
3. Methodology of data manipulation
   The average annual rate of growth is calculated using the following: [(last year/base year) ^ (1/number of years) - 1] × 100.
4. Coding (used in the Eurostat database) and specific components of the indicator
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — All products
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Solid fuels
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Total petroleum products
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Gas
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Nuclear heat
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Electrical energy
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Derived heat
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Renewable energies
   • GIC — Gross inland consumption — Waste (non-renewable)
   • FC_NE — Final non-energy consumption — All products
   • FC_NE — Final non-energy consumption — Solid fuels
   • FC_NE — Final non-energy consumption — Total petroleum products
   • FC_NE — Final non-energy consumption — Gas
   • FC_NE — Final non-energy consumption — Renewable energies

    These data are extracted from Eurostat nrg_bal_c data sets.

Qualitative information

Methodology for gap filling

No gap filling necessary.

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

The proportion of a particular fuel in total energy consumption could decrease even if the actual amount of energy derived from that fuel increased, as the proportion of a particular fuel depends on its consumption relative to total energy consumption.

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

Gross inland 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 on gross inland energy consumption even if there is no change in final energy demand. 

Data sets uncertainty

Officially reported, annually updated data are used, with no obvious weaknesses.

However, from 2019, Eurostat changed the methodology for calculating energy balances, which changed the energy consumption data compared with previous years. Therefore, this year’s results and those of previous years are less comparable. More information on these changes can be found in the Energy balance guide (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/38154/4956218/ENERGY-BALANCE-GUIDE-DRAFT-31JANUARY2019.pdf/cf121393-919f-4b84-9059-cdf0f69ec045) and in a document online (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/10186/6246844/Eurobase-changes-energy.pdf).

Data have traditionally been compiled by Eurostat through the annual joint questionnaires of 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 on Eurostat's web page for metadata on energy statistics (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/de/nrg_quant_esms.htm).

In circumstances where data for one or more of the non-EU EEA countries are unavailable, these data are left out of total amounts for non-EU EEA countries or for EEA countries as a whole.

Rationale uncertainty

The composition of the energy mix in gross inland energy consumption provides an indication of the environmental pressures associated with energy consumption. 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 types and amounts of fuel consumed, as well as on the abatement technologies applied.