By 2030, fossil fuels are likely to still produce 25% of the European Union’s electricity, in particular due to an insufficient reduction in the use of coal, according to an analysis of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) published on Monday 9 November by the Ember think tank.
According to the paper, EU coal-based electricity generation is thus expected to fall by only 53% by 2030 (compared to 2018), while that from all fossil fuels is expected to fall by only 30%.
And the report singles out seven Member States (Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium, Romania and Italy) which, because of their dependence on coal and their delay in deploying renewable energy, risk preventing the EU from reaching its 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target.
Electricity generation from renewable sources will double to cover almost 60% of EU electricity demand by 2030, largely due to the growth of wind and solar power, the report also predicts.
Finally, Ember estimates that the current NECPs will lead to a decrease of about 19% in the electricity produced by nuclear power plants in the EU by 2030 due in particular to Germany’s decision to close all its plants by the end of 2022.
See the report: https://bit.ly/2UaLB6y (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)