Indicator Assessment

Electricity production by fuel

Indicator Assessment

Prod-ID: IND-124-en

Also known as: ENER 027

Published 30 Apr 2012 Last modified 11 May 2021

23 min read

Topics: Energy

This page was archived on 06 Nov 2013 with reason: Other (This indicator is no longer being regularly updated)

Key message

Fossil fuels and nuclear energy continue to dominate the fuel mix for electricity production in EU-27. In 2009, the share in total gross electricity production of the electricity generated from fossil fuels was 51.3 %, and the share of nuclear 27.5 %. The share of electricity generated from renewable sources is in rapid progression and reached 19.6% in 2009. The total electricity production in EU-27 increased by around 25 % between 1990 and 2009, thus offsetting some of the emissions reductions achieved due to fuel switching from solid fuels to natural gas and from the increase share of renewables. However, in 2009, the electricity production decreased significantly for the first time (-4.6% compared to 2008), because of the economic crisis. In non-EU EEA countries, electricity production increased by 2.7%/year since 2009, with a fall in 2009 (-3.3%), mainly driven by gas (+12.7%year) and coal (+5.3%/year).

Rationale

Electricity production can have negative impacts on the environment and human health. The fuel mix used for in electricity production provides a broad indication of whether these effects are likely to diminish or will be enhanced. The type and the extent of pressures on the environment and human health stemming from electricity production depend upon the type and the amount of fuels used for electricity generation as well as the use of abatement technologies. See also ENER 02, ENER 18 and ENER 27

This indicator is discontinued. No more assessments will be produced.

Gross electricity production by fuel, EU-27

Note: Data shown are for gross electricity production and include electricity production from both public plants and auto-producers. Renewables include electricity produced from hydro (excluding pumping), biomass, municipal waste, geothermal, wind and solar PV. The share of renewables presented in the chart is that for production and hence does not correspond to the share, for consumption, as required by Directive 2001/77/EC. The difference between both shares is accounted for by the net balance between imports and exports of electricity. ‘Other fuels’ include electricity produced from power plants not accounted for elsewhere, such as those fuelled by certain types of industrial wastes. It also includes the electricity generated as a result of pumping in hydro-power stations

Data source:

Eurostat 2010. Electricity production by fuel abd total gross electrcity generation - annual data. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/energy/data/database

Downloads and more info

Electricity production from fossil fuels continues to dominate total gross electricity production in EU-27. In 2009, the share of fossil fuels in electricity production was 51.3%, five points below the share observed in 1990 when fossil fuels accounted for 56.1 % . Natural gas was the fuel of choice for new power plants since 1990, choice mainly driven by economic considerations (more advantageous gas prices compared to coal) and environmental concerns. This fuel switching led to a decrease in greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions from public power generation (see ENER 02) but increased the dependency on imported fuels (see ENER12). However, with an increase in natural gas prices relative to coal since 1999 (IEA, 2005) as well as a decrease in hydro electricity production since 2002 due to decreased rainfall, the use of coal in power generation has increased in the early 2000s. The share of gas in electricity production increased from 8.5% in 1990 to 23.1% in 2009, contrary to the other energies for which the share is declining (coal from 39% in 1990 to 25.3% in 2009, oil from 8.5% in 1990 to 2.9% in 2009, nuclear from 30.5% in 1990 to 27.5% in 2009). The electricity production from renewable sources increased significantly since 1990 (+3.6 %/year) with an acceleration since 2005 (6%/year); the share of renewable in electricity production rose from 12.6% in 1990 to 19.6% in 2009.The electricity production from nuclear decreased since 2005 (2.7%/year); in 2009 the share of nuclear in electricity production at EU level reached 27.5%.
As a result of these fuel shifts, in 2009, the average carbon intensity of the electricity production in EU-27 was around 375 gCO₂/kWh (ENER 02), 33% below the 1990 level.
In non-EU EEA countries, electricity production increased by 2.7%/year since 2009, with a fall in 2009 (-3.3%). This production is mainly driven by gas (+12.7%year) and coal (+5.3%/year) since 1990. Renewable remain the main energy used for electricity production in non-EU EEA countries (share of 54.3% of the gross electricity production in 2009, 75% in 1990); the share of gas increased from 4.4% to 25.7% from 1990 to 2009, from 8.4% to 13.6% for coal. The share of oil and nuclear remained more stable (respectively 1.2% and 6.9% in 2009 and 1.8% and 9.8% in 1990).

The total volume of electricity produced from renewable sources in the EU-27 was 638 TWh 2009, representing an increase of 94 % compared to 1990 (the average annual growth rate was 3.6 %) (see Figure 1).The share of renewable electricity in total electricity production was 19.6% in 2009 in EU-27 (12.6% in 1990). . Sixty percent of this increase can be attributed to four countries with Germany clearly the largest contributor accounting for 26% of the absolute increase in the electricity production from renewable in the EU-27, followed by Spain (17%), Italy (12%) and United Kingdom (7%). Since 2005, electricity production from renewable picked up. This pace is also due to high increasing production in Germany (9.4%/year , share of 17% in EU electricity from renewable), in Spain (+13.3%/year, share of 12%), in Italy (7.4%/year, share of 12%), in France (+5%/year, share of 12%) but also in Estonia (+48.6%/year), in Cyprus (+41%), in Poland (+14%/year).
In 2009, the electricity production decreased by 4.6%; renewable are the only source that continue to grow (+5.6%); electricity production from wind increased by 11.1%, from biomass by12.8% and solar by 89%.In non-EU EEA countries electricity production from renewable decreased by 0.5%/year since 2005 (+0.9%/year from 1990-2005) mainly due to a decrease in hydro electricity production (-1%/year since 2005).

The total electricity produced from natural gas in EU-27 was 751 TWh representing a 238 % increase compared to 1990 (average growth of 6.6%/year). The share of natural gas in total electricity production increased from 8.5% in 1990 to 23.1% in 2009. In 2009 however, as a result of the economic crisis, the electricity produced from natural gas decreased by 7.1% compared to 2008
The primary motive for the switch to gas was economic, with low gas prices for much of the 1990s compared to coal and stricter environmental legislation but also due to the availability of alternative routes via LNG that improved the security of supply. Because of this, significant investments were made in the transportation infrastructure for the delivery of gas from within and outside the EU-27. This rapid increased in gas demand also contributed to the increase in fossil fuels imports (see ENER12).
For non-EU EEA countries, the share of natural gas in electricity production reached 25.7% in 2009 (2.6% in 1990). Electricity production from gas increased by 12.7%/year since 1990 (or 7.9%/year since 2005). Electricity from gas is mainly located in Turkey.

The total electricity produced from solid fuels decreased by 19% between 1990 and 2009, at an annual average rate of 1.1 %. This decrease mainly took place before 2000 due to the price differential with natural gas and more stringent environmental regulations. However the share of coal and lignite in electricity production decreased from 28.9% in 2005 to 25.3% in 2009. Over the period 2005-2009 the electricity production from solid fuels decreased by 3.9%/year, with a drop of 8.2% in 2009.
In non-EU EEA countries electricity production from coal and lignite increased by 5.3%/year since 1990 (6.5%/year since 2005) reaching a share of 13.6% in 2009.

The total electricity produced from nuclear amounted to 894 TWh in 2009, an increase of 12.5% compared to 1990 at an average annual rate of 0.6%/year. Electricity production from nuclear is decreasing since 2005 (- 2.7%/year between 2005 and 2009), mainly in Sweden (-7.9%/year) , UK (-4.1%/year), France (-2.4%/year) and Germany (-4.6%/year) with the shutdown of several nuclear reactors. As a result of these opposite trends, the electricity produced from nuclear was still 99 TWh higher in 2009 than in 1990 (+ 12 %).The share of electricity production from nuclear in gross electricity production declined from 29.8 % in 2005 to 27.5% in 2009.

Until the accident of Fukushima, in early 2011, there was an increased interest towards building new nuclear power plants in countries like the UK, the Baltic States, Poland, Sweden, and Finland or extending the life times of existing NPP’s (for instance in France, the Netherlands) due to concerns over security of supply, high volatility of energy commodity prices and climate change (see also ENER 13). Following the Fukushima accident, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium announced plans to decommission all nuclear capacity by 2022 (Germany) and 2025 (Belgium on the condition that new alternatives for replacement are found by 2015).

Supporting information

Indicator definition

Total gross electricity generation covers gross electricity generation in all types of power plants. The gross electricity generation at the plant level is defined as the electricity measured at the outlet of the main transformers. i.e. the consumption of electricity in the plant auxiliaries and in transformers is included.

Electricity production by fuel is the gross electricity generation from plants utilising the following fuels: coal and lignite. oil. nuclear. natural and derived gas. renewables (wind. hydro. biomass and waste. solar PV and geothermal) and other fuels. The latter include electricity produced from power plants not accounted for elsewhere such as those fuelled by certain types of industrial wastes which are not classed as renewable. Other fuels also include the electricity produced as a result of pumping in hydro power stations.

The share of each fuel in electricity production is taken as the ratio of electricity production from the relevant category against total gross electricity generation. It should be noted that the share of renewable electricity in this indicator, based on production, is not directly comparable with the share required under Directive 2001/77/EC which is based upon the share of renewables in electricity consumption. The difference between both shares is accounted for by the net balance between imports and exports of electricity and by how much domestic electricity generation is increased or reduced as a result.

Units

Electricity generation is measured in either GWh or TWh (1000 GWh)

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

The trend in electricity production by fuel provides a broad indication of the environmental impacts associated with electricity production. The type and the extent of the related environmental pressures depends upon the type and the amount of fuels used for electricity generation as well as the use of abatement technologies.

The indicator shows the evolution of the shares of electricity production from different fuels in total gross electricity production and aims to indicate to what extent there has been a decarbonisation of the electricity production in Europe. Electricity production from fossil fuels (such as crude oil, oil products, hard coal, lignite and natural and derived gas) can provide a proxy indicator of resource depletion, CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution levels (e.g. SO2 and NOX). 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 content 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 electricity production 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 contribute to reductions in CO2 emissions.
Renewable electricity production is a measure of the contribution from technologies that are, in general, more environmentally benign, as they produce less net CO2 and of other pollutants. Renewable electricity 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.
The efficiency with which electricity is produced also determines the scale of the environmental impacts of electricity production and consumption (see ENER19), as it determines the amount of input fuel required to generate a given quantity of electricity.
The impact also depends upon the total amount of electricity demanded and hence the level of electricity production required (see ENER18 for more details on electricity consumption). Thus another way of reducing energy-related pressures on the environment includes using less electricity on the demand-side, through improved efficiency, conservation or a combination of the two.

Scientific references

IEA (2005). Electricity information 2004 - IEA statistics.
COM(2008) 781 final Second Strategic Energy Review
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
EEA (2008) Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990 – 2006 and inventory report 2008
EU (2009) Climate action and renewable energy package (CARE Package)
Treaty of Accession to the European Union. Annex II. Part 12. page 588 which amends Directive 2001/77/EC in order to set targets for new Member States on the contribution of renewable energy to electricity generation.
UN (1998): Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; adopted at COP3 in Kyoto. Japan. on 11 December 1997
IEA WEO 2009 – Executive summary
IPTS POLES 2009 IPTS (2009) , Russ P., Ciscar J. C., Saveyn B., Soria A., Szábó L., Van Ierland T., Van Regemorter D., Virdis R.: Economic Assessment of Post-2012 Global Climate Policies: Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Scenarios with the POLES and GEM-E3 models, IPTS, 2009, EUR 23768 EN – 2009

Policy context and targets

Context description

Environmental context

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.

The efficiency with which electricity is produced also determines the scale of the environmental impacts of electricity production and consumption (see ENER19), as it determines the amount of input fuel required to generate a given quantity of electricity.

The impact also depends upon the total amount of electricity demanded and hence the level of electricity production required (see ENER18 for more details on electricity consumption). Thus another way of reducing energy-related pressures on the environment includes using less electricity on the demand-side, through improved efficiency, conservation or a combination of the two.

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 2020 – A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy (COM(2010) 639 final)
Presents 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

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

Targets

No targets have been specified

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Average annual rate of growth calculated using: [(last year/base year) ^ (1/number of years) –1]*100

Share of electricity production by fuel calculated as ratio of electricity production by fuel type to total gross electricity generation.
The coding (used in the Eurostat database) for the gross electricity generation is :

Coal fired power stations:

Anthracite : main electricity activity 22_108501, main activity CHP 22_108502, autoproducers electricity 22_108503, autoproducers CHP 22_108504
Coking coal : main electricity activity 22_108511, main activity CHP 22_108512, autoproducers electricity 22_108513, autoproducers CHP 22_108514
Bituminous : main electricity activity 22_108521, main activity CHP 22_108522, autoproducers electricity 22_108523, autoproducers CHP 22_108524
Sub Bituminous : main electricity activity 22_108531, main activity CHP 22_108532, autoproducers electricity 22_108533, autoproducers CHP 22_108534
Lignite/brown coal : main electricity activity 22_108541, main activity CHP 22_108542, autoproducers electricity 22_108543, autoproducers CHP 22_108544
Peat : main electricity activity 22_108551, main activity CHP 22_108552, autoproducers electricity 22_108553, autoproducers CHP 22_108554
Patent fuel : main electricity activity 22_108561, main activity CHP 22_108562, autoproducers electricity 22_108563, autoproducers CHP 22_108564
Coke oven coke: main electricity activity 22_108571, main activity CHP 22_108572, autoproducers electricity 22_108573, autoproducers CHP 22_108574
Gas coke : main electricity activity 22_108581, main activity CHP 22_108582, autoproducers electricity 22_108583, autoproducers CHP 22_108584
Coal tar : main electricity activity 22_108591, main activity CHP 22_108592, autoproducers electricity 22_108593, autoproducers CHP 22_108594
BKB/briquettes : main electricity activity 22_108601, main activity CHP 22_108602, autoproducers electricity 22_108603, autoproducers CHP 22_108604

Oil fired power stations:

Crude oil : main electricity activity 22_108701, main activity CHP 22_108702, autoproducers electricity 22_108703, autoproducers CHP 22_108704
NGL (Natural Gas Liquid) : main electricity activity 22_108711, main activity CHP 22_108712, autoproducers electricity 22_108713, autoproducers CHP 22_108714
Refinery gas : main electricity activity 22_108721, main activity CHP 22_108722, autoproducers electricity 22_108723, autoproducers CHP 22_108724
LPG : main electricity activity 22_108731, main activity CHP 22_108732, autoproducers electricity 22_108733, autoproducers CHP 22_108734
Naphta: main electricity activity 22_108741, main activity CHP 22_108742, autoproducers electricity 22_108743, autoproducers CHP 22_108744
Kerozene type jet fuel: main electricity activity 22_108751, main activity CHP 22_108752, autoproducers electricity 22_108753, autoproducers CHP 22_108754
Other Kerozene: main electricity activity 22_108761, main activity CHP 22_108762, autoproducers electricity 22_108763, autoproducers CHP 22_108764
Gas/diesel oil: main electricity activity 22_108771, main activity CHP 22_108772, autoproducers electricity 22_108773, autoproducers CHP 22_108774
Residual fuel oil: main electricity activity 22_108781, main activity CHP 22_108782, autoproducers electricity 22_108783, autoproducers CHP 22_108784
Bitumen: main electricity activity 22_108791, main activity CHP 22_108792, autoproducers electricity 22_108793, autoproducers CHP 22_108794
Petroleum coke: main electricity activity 22_108801, main activity CHP 22_108802, autoproducers electricity 22_108803, autoproducers CHP 22_108804
Other oil products: main electricity activity 22_108811, main activity CHP 22_108812, autoproducers electricity 22_108813, autoproducers CHP 22_108814

Natural gas fired power stations:

main electricity activity 22_108891, main activity CHP 22_108892, autoproducers electricity 22_108893, autoproducers CHP 22_108894

Derived gas fired power stations

Gas works gas : main electricity activity 22_108611, main activity CHP 22_108612, autoproducers electricity 22_108613, autoproducers CHP 22_108614
Coke oven gas : main electricity activity 22_1086211, main activity CHP 22_108622, autoproducers electricity 22_108623, autoproducers CHP 22_108624
Blast furnace gas : main electricity activity 22_108631, main activity CHP 22_108632, autoproducers electricity 22_108633, autoproducers CHP 22_108634
Oxygen steel furnace gas : main electricity activity 22_108641, main activity CHP 22_108642, autoproducers electricity 22_108643, autoproducers CHP 22_108644

Biomass fired power stations

Industrial wastes : main electricity activity 22_108901, main activity CHP 22_108902, autoproducers electricity 22_108903, autoproducers CHP 22_108904
Municipal wastes (renewable): main electricity activity 22_108911, main activity CHP 22_108912, autoproducers electricity 22_108913, autoproducers CHP 22_108914
Municipal wastes (non-renewable): main electricity activity 22_108921, main activity CHP 22_108922, autoproducers electricity 22_108923, autoproducers CHP 22_108924
Wood, wood wastes and other solid fuels: main electricity activity 22_108931, main activity CHP 22_108932, autoproducers electricity 22_1089313, autoproducers CHP 22_108934
Landfill gas: main electricity activity 22_108941, main activity CHP 22_108942, autoproducers electricity 22_1089343, autoproducers CHP 22_108944
Sludge gas: main electricity activity 22_108951, main activity CHP 22_108952, autoproducers electricity 22_1089353, autoproducers CHP 22_108954
Other biogas: main electricity activity 22_108961, main activity CHP 22_108962, autoproducers electricity 22_1089363, autoproducers CHP 22_108964
Other liquid biofuels: main electricity activity 22_108971, main activity CHP 22_108972, autoproducers electricity 22_1089373, autoproducers CHP 22_108974

Solar

Main electricity from photovoltaic 14_1070421, main solar thermal 14_1070422, autoproducers solar 14_1070423

Pumped hydro

Main electricity from pumped hydro 15_107036, autoproducers pumped hydro 14_107037

Nuclear

Main electricity activity 15_107030, main activity CHP 15_107031, autoproducers electricity 15_107032, autoproducers CHP 15_107033

It should be noted that in the Eurostat database ‘Other fuels – 107012’ also includes ‘gross production from photovoltaic systems - 107023’ and although almost negligible in overall terms it has been subtracted from 107012 in the calculation of the indicator.
For the denominator, where required: total gross electricity generation 107000

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 the EFTA countries (Iceland, Switzerland and Norway). Liechtenstein and Iceland are not anymore covered separately by Eurostat

Temporal coverage:
1990-2009

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

Methodology for gap filling

No methodology for gap filling has been specified. Probably this info has been added together with indicator calculation.

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

Biomass and wastes, as defined by Eurostat, cover organic, non-fossil material of biological origin, which may be used for heat production or electricity generation. They comprise wood and wood waste, Biogas, municipal solid waste (MSW) and biofuels. MSW comprises biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes produced by different sectors. Non-biodegradable municipal and solid wastes are not considered to be renewable, but current data availability does not allow the non-biodegradable content of wastes to be identified separately, except for that from industry.

Also, electricity data (unlike that for overall energy consumption) for 1990 refers to the western part of Germany only.

Electricity consumption within the national territory includes imports of electricity from neighbouring countries. It also excludes the electricity produced nationally but exported abroad. In some countries the contribution of electricity trade to total electricity consumption and the changes observed from year to year need to be looked at carefully when analysing trends in electricity production by fuel. Impacts on the (national) environment are also affected since emissions are accounted where the electricity is produced whereas consumption is accounted where the electricity is consumed

Data sets uncertainty

Data has 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

No uncertainty has been specified

Data sources

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 027

Frequency of updates

This indicator is discontinued. No more assessments will be produced.

EEA Contact Info

Permalinks

Permalink to this version: 7f23f82b-353c-4a63-94aa-e0b9b410a27d
Permalink to latest version: IND-124-en

Older versions

10 Aug 2011 - Electricity production by fuel

14 Sep 2010 - Electricity production by fuel

05 Jul 2010 - Electricity production by fuel

27 Nov 2008 - EN27 Electricity production by fuel

22 May 2007 - EN27 Electricity production by fuel

Geographic coverage

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

Temporal coverage

1990-2009

For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/electricity-production-by-fuel-1/electricity-production-by-fuel-assessment-3 or scan the QR code.

PDF generated on 25 Apr 2024, 07:25 PM

Dates

First draft created:

04 Apr 2012, 11:15 AM

Publish date:

30 Apr 2012, 02:20 PM

Last modified:

11 May 2021, 11:47 AM

Topics

Topics: Energy