Renewable energy (hydro, wind and solar PV) was the leading source of electricity in the EU in 2023, according to Eurostat, when it accounted for 44.7% of all electricity production, an increase of 12.4% on 2022.

Fossil fuels were in second place accounting for 32.5 % of electricity (down from 39.4 % in 2022). The remaining 22.8% came from nuclear power, which saw a very mild recovery in 2023 compared with the record-low levels registered in 2022. 

In 2023, according to preliminary data, the EU’s natural gas supply decreased to 12.8 million terajoules (TJ), a 7.4% decline compared with 2022, marking the lowest value since 1995. 

Even sharper decreases were registered for coal: brown coal supply decreased by 24.2% to 222 840 million tonnes, and hard coal supply dropped by 20.4% to 130 437 million tonnes. Both figures are the lowest recorded since the data series began.

In terms of oil and petroleum products, the supply totalled 526 862 thousand tonnes, indicating a 1.5% drop compared with 2022.

The supply of renewable energies increased by 4.4% compared with 2022, amounting to about 10.9 million TJ in 2023.

This information comes from data on energy published by Eurostat recently. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on energy production and imports.    

In 2023, renewable energy was the leading source of electricity in the EU, accounting for 44.7% of all electricity production. Renewables generated 1.21 million Gigawatt-hour (GWh), marking an increase of 12.4% compared with 2022. 

Conversely, electricity generated from fossil fuels decreased by 19.7% compared with the previous year, contributing 0.88 million GWh, or 32.5% of the total electricity production.

Nuclear plants produced 0.62 million GWh or 22.8% the EU energy production, reflecting a 1.2% increase in production in 2023.