The Global Electricity Review 2024 is out

Key highlights

• Wind overtook gas in the EU in 2023 to become the second-largest source of electricity at 17.5% – more than twice the global average of 7.8%
• The EU contributed 17% of the global growth in solar and wind in 2023
• In the last ten years, the EU has seen the second-largest decline in coal generation, after the US, which has driven down emissions

European Union: Current status

In 2023, the European Union was the fourth-largest power sector emitter globally, behind China, the US and India, emitting 657 million tonnes of CO2 from electricity generation. 

The EU has the lowest share of fossil fuels in its electricity mix out of the top four emitters, at only 33%. This is about half of the share of fossil fuels in global electricity production (61%). In the EU, gas plays a bigger role (16.7%, 449TWh) than coal (12.5%, 336TWh). Compared to the whole of Europe – which includes Russia and Türkiye among others – the EU is less reliant on fossil fuels.

Clean power made up 67% of the EU’s electricity mix. Nuclear remained the largest single source of electricity (23%, 619 TWh). Wind became the second-largest source of electricity in the EU with a share of 17.5%, higher than gas for the first time at 16.7%. The share of wind and solar reached a record high of 26.6% (718 TWh) in 2023, almost twice the global share of 13.4%.