Renewable energy was the leading source of primary energy production in the European Union, according to a new Eurostat publication released on Monday 3 April. These energies, such as biomass, hydro, wind and solar, accounted for 41% of total energy production in the EU.
As of 2016, renewable energy has overtaken nuclear energy for the first time. In 2021, nuclear energy (31%) was therefore the second most important source, followed by solid fuels (18%), natural gas (6%), crude oil (3%) and other sources (0.2%).
The production of renewable energy varies greatly from one Member State to another. Renewable energy was the sole source of energy production in Malta and the main source of energy production in Member States such as Latvia (close to 100%), Portugal (98%) and Cyprus (96%).
Among the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries, renewable energy accounted for 100% of primary energy production in Iceland, while it accounted for only 7% of production in Norway, with natural gas and oil accounting for 47% and 45% respectively.
Although the European Union produces a lot of energy from renewable sources, the Eurostat publication highlights the fact that the EU has to import a large part of its energy, as the total energy produced within the EU covers only 42% of consumption.
In 2021, oil products actually accounted for almost two thirds of energy imports into the EU (64%), followed by natural gas (25%) and solid fossil fuels (6%).
To see the Eurostat publication: https://aeur.eu/f/67p (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)