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Indicator Assessment

Primary energy consumption by fuel

Indicator Assessment
Prod-ID: IND-1-en
  Also known as: ENER 026
Published 21 Oct 2015 Last modified 11 May 2021
22 min read
This page was archived on 07 Dec 2016 with reason: Other (New version data-and-maps/indicators/primary-energy-consumption-by-fuel-6/assessment-1 was published)

In 2013, primary energy consumption in the EU28 countries was almost the same as in 1990 and amounted to 1567 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe). Between 2005 and 2013, primary energy consumption in the EU28 countries decreased by 8.3% due, in particular, to the economic recession, climatic conditions and energy efficiency improvements. Based on EEA preliminary estimates, in 2014 EU28 primary energy consumption continued to decrease by 3.3% compared to 2013. 

Primary energy consumption in the non-EU EEA countries doubled from 69 Mtoe in 1990 to 143 Mtoe in 2013. The main reason for the difference in the trend for these countries compared to the EU-28 was the large increase in primary energy consumption in Turkey and, to a lesser extent, in Norway.

Fossil fuels (including non-renewable waste) continued to dominate primary energy consumption in the EU28, but their share declined from 82.1% in 1990 to 72.9% in 2013. The share of renewable energy sources more than doubled over the same period, from 4.5% in 1990 to 12.6% in 2013, increasing at an average annual rate of 4.5% per year. The share of nuclear energy in gross inland energy consumption increased slightly from 13.1% in 1990 to 14.4% in 2013.

Primary energy consumption by fuel

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MTOE
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Primary energy consumption by fuel

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MTOE
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Average annual growth rates for different fuels

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Member states primary energy consumption and indicative national energy efficiency targets for 2020

2013
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Share of fuel in primary energy consumption

2013
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  • Primary energy consumption increased by 8.9% from 1 569 Mtoe in 1990 to 1 709 Mtoe in 2005. Between 2005 and 2013, primary energy consumption in the EU28 countries decreased by 8.3%, reaching almost the same level in 2013 as it was in 1990 (1 567 Mtoe). The decrease in primary energy consumption in the past years was caused by various factors, in particular the economic recession, weather conditions, energy efficiency improvements and the increase of the share of energy from hydro, wind, and solar photovoltaics[1]. In the 2005-2013 period, the growth in these renewable sources contributed to a decrease of 1.7% in primary energy consumption[2]. Under the Energy Efficiency Directive, the EU has set a target to limit primary energy consumption to no more than 1 483 Mtoe by 2020. In 2013, the EU was below the linear trajectory between 2005 levels and the 2020 target. In 2014, the sum of all 2020 targets for primary energy consumption by the 28 Member States was equal to 1 530 Mtoe. This is 47 Mtoe (3%) higher than the EU target for primary energy consumption of 1 483 Mtoe.
  • Based on preliminary EEA estimates, in 2014, primary energy consumption in the EU28 was 1 515 Mtoe, 3.3% lower compared to 2013. 
  • The share of coal and lignite in EU28 primary energy consumption decreased from 28.9% in 1990 to 18.2% in 2013. Over the 1990-2013 period, the absolute consumption of coal and lignite decreased by 37% (2% per year). This was partly due to the increased use of combined-cycle gas plants, which replaced inefficient coal-fired power plants, as a result of the relatively high coal to gas price ratio in place until 2005 and environmental regulation. Following the large scale development of US shale gas in the second half of the past decade the coal to gas price ratio strongly decreased. At the same time carbon prices in the EU-Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) were relatively low. As a result, since 2011, the consumption of coal and lignite remained almost stable, while that of gas decreased by more than 4%.
  • The share of natural gas in EU28 primary energy consumption increased from around 18.0% in 1990 to 23.8% in 2013. Between 1990 and 2013, the absolute consumption of natural gas increased by 32% (1.2% per year). This was due to the switch from coal to gas as explained above. Since 2005, natural gas consumption has, however, fallen by 13%. This is partly as a result of the decrease in coal prices, the relatively low carbon price in the EU-ETS and the increase in renewable energy. The increase of renewable electricity has particularly impacted operations of gas-fired power plants, which ran continuously (base-load) in the past, but which now tend to operate during peak-load only, thereby reducing yearly operation hours. The consumption of natural gas for heating in the residential and service sectors was influenced by weather conditions and income levels.
  • The share of oil (crude oil and petroleum products) in EU28 primary energy consumption decreased from 35% in 1990 to 30.1% in 2013. Between 1990 and 2013, the absolute consumption of fossil oil decreased by 14% (0.7% per year). The observed decline took place particularly after 2005. Since 2005, oil consumption has fallen by 18%. Several factors contributed to this decline: the increase in the use of biofuels in the transport sector, high oil prices, the economic downturn and energy efficiency improvements of cars. Prior to this decline, consumption remained quite stable as a result of the increased demand for petrol and diesel in the transport sector being offset by a decline in the use of oil for power generation and a decline in oil use in the industry and residential sectors.
  • The share of nuclear energy in EU28 primary energy consumption increased from around 13.1% in 1990 to 14.4% in 2013. Between 1990 and 2013, the absolute consumption of nuclear energy increased by 10% (0.4% per year). Since 2005, however, consumption of nuclear energy has fallen by 12%. The reason is that several old nuclear power plants have been shut down (in Bulgaria in 2002 and 2006, in Lithuania in 2004 and 2009, and in Slovakia in 2006 and 2008), and more recently, eight nuclear power plants have been shut down in Germany in 2011 in reaction to the Fukushima accident in Japan.
  • The share of renewable energy in EU28 primary energy consumption increased from around 4.5% in 1990 to 12.6% in 2013. Between 1990 and 2013, the absolute consumption of renewable energy increased by 176% (4.5% year). Since 2005, the consumption of renewable energy has increased by 67%. This growth has been stimulated by national and European policies to promote renewable energy, such as feed-in tariffs and premiums, obligations for electricity producers, obligations for renewables in transport fuel etc. In recent years, various EU governments have reduced support levels for renewable energy, partly in response to the decreasing costs of renewable energy technologies and higher than expected growth (and thus support costs), but also in response to increasing government budget deficits following the economic recession[3].
  • Between 1990 and 2013, primary energy consumption in non-EU EEA countries doubled, increasing from 69 Mtoe in 1990 to 143 Mtoe in 2013. The main reason for the difference in the trend for these countries was the large increase in primary energy consumption in Turkey (+3.6% per year) and, to a lesser extent, in Norway (+2.1% per year). In Turkey, the trend is driven by strong economic and population growth, while in Norway developments may be driven by growth in certain industrial activities such as the chemical industry.
  • In 2013, the contribution of different fuels in primary energy consumption in non-EU EEA countries was quite different to that in the EU28. In particular, nuclear represents an important share in the EU28 energy mix (14.4%), while it is absent in the non-EU EEA countries considered here. Renewables have a greater share in primary energy consumption in the non-EU EEA countries (18.6%, compared to 12.6% in the EU28). In 2013, the share of fossil fuels (including non-renewable waste) was 72.9% for the EU28 and 81.3% in the non-EU EEA.
  • Fuel switching has implications on how dependent Europe is on imported fuels (please see ENER 036 for a discussion on the dependency of the EU on imported fuels).  
  • To reach the EU's 20% energy efficiency target by 2020, individual EU countries have set their own indicative national energy efficiency targets (Council Directive 2013/12/EU). All EU28 Member States have set targets for primary energy consumption. The majority (20) of Member States are on track to reach their 2020 energy efficiency targets, while eight (Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden) are not (Figure 4). For details on the progress towards 2020 targets in primary energy consumption see [4].

[1] Energy produced from hydro, wind and solar-PV is measured as energy produced in final form (electricity), as opposed to electricity generation from non-renewable sources for which conversion losses occur. Hence, an increase in the share of energy production from these sources leads to a reduction of primary energy consumption.

[2] VITO, 2015. Renewable energy in Europe, Recent growth and knock-on effects.

[3] Held et al., 2014. Design features of support schemes for renewable electricity.

[4] EEA, 2015. Trends and projections in Europe 2015 (forthcoming).

Supporting information

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 consumption is calculated as follows: primary production + recovered products + total imports + variations of stocks - total exports - bunkers.

Units

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


 

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. SO2 and NOX). 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 reduction, but comes with safety and nuclear waste issues.

Renewable energy consumption is more environmentally benign, as the exploitation of renewables 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). Renewables 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

  • Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency (COM/2016/0761 final — 2016/0376 (COD))

On 30 November 2016, the Commission proposed an update to the Energy Efficiency Directive, including a new 30 % energy efficiency target for 2030, and measures to update the directive with the objective to meet the new target.

  • Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings (COM/2016/0765 final — 2016/0381 (COD))
  • Directive 2012/27/EU

Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC.

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.

Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings (recast).

The Ecodesign Directive is a framework directive: it does not set binding requirements on products by itself, but through implementing measures adopted on a case-by-case basis for each product group. All guiding principles for developing implementing measures are set in Directive 2009/125/EC. The list of product groups to be addressed through implementing measures is established in the periodic working plan. Standardisation supports the implementation of the Ecodesign Directive (notably through harmonised standards giving presumption of conformity with all or some Ecodesign Directive legal requirements).

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 CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles.

Regulation (EU) No 510/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting emission performance standards for new light commercial vehicles as part of the Union's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles.

The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) is the successor of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive and, in essence, it concerns minimising pollution from various industrial sources throughout the EU. Operators of industrial installations operating activities covered by Annex I to the IED are required to obtain an integrated permit from the authorities in the EU countries. About 50 000 installations were covered by the IPPC Directive and the IED will cover some new activities, which could mean that the number of installations covered will rise slightly.

Directive 2010/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related products.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 'An EU Strategy on Heating and Cooling' (COM(2016) 51 final, 16 February 2016).

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).

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 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency establishes a common framework of measures for the promotion of energy efficiency within the EU in order to achieve the headline target of a 20 % reduction in primary energy consumption. The EU-28 target is to limit primary energy consumption to 1 483 Mtoe by 2020. Member States are requested to set indicative targets. In 2016, taken together, the sum of all individual Member States' 2020 targets for primary energy consumption was 1 533 Mtoe, which is 3 % higher than the 2020 target defined for the EU under the Energy Efficiency Directive (1 483 Mtoe).

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 and Turkey, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
  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:
    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:
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — All products
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Solid fuels
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Total petroleum products
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Gas
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Nuclear heat
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Electrical energy
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Derived heat
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Renewable energies
  • B_100900 — Gross inland consumption — Waste (non-renewable)
  • B_101600 — Final Non-energy consumption — All products
  • B_101600 — Final Non-energy consumption — Solid fuels
  • B_101600 — Final Non-energy consumption — Total petroleum products
  • B_101600 — Final Non-energy consumption — Gas
  • B_101600 — Final Non-energy consumption — Renewable energies

 These data are extracted from Eurostat datasets nrg_100a and nrg_108a.

Qualitative information

Overall scoring — historical data (1 = no major problems, 3 = major reservations):

  • Relevance: 1
  • Accuracy: 1
  • Comparability over time: 1      
  • Comparability over space: 1

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 increases, as the proportion 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 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 data, updated annually. No obvious weaknesses.

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 type and amount of fuel consumed, as well as on the abatement technologies applied.

Data sources

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