(Montel) EU power sector emissions rise above global average – Ember

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The record slump in nuclear and hydropower output in the EU last year led to a rise in power sector emissions above the global average as the bloc turned to coal and gas-fired production to secure supplies, a report said on Wednesday.

EU power sector emissions increased by 2.8% in 2022 compared to the year before, whereas global power sector emissions rose by only 1.3%, according to the report by UK think tank Ember.

Nuclear generation, which accounted for 22% of the EU’s total power output,  fell by 16%, or 119 TWh, last year, mainly due to extended reactor outages in France and plant closures in Germany, while hot weather and droughts resulted in a fall of 19%, or 66 TWh, in hydropower, which accounted for 10% of the total.

At the same time, coal-fired generation increased by 5.4%, or 27 TWh, and gas-fired output was up by 0.8%, or 4.6 TWh. 

The 27-member bloc had the world’s fourth most carbon-emitting power sector, accounting for 6.2% of total global power emissions and was responsible for 775 million tonnes of CO2 in 2022, the report said. This was lower than 2019 pre-pandemic levels, however.

“The EU started the race to renewables early but, as the world accelerates, it cannot afford complacency,” Ember’s Sarah Brown said.

Removing barriers

Yet the EU’s transition to wind and solar has been happening faster than the global average, the report said.

The use of both power sources increased last year by 8.8%, or 34 TWh, and 24%, or 40 TWh, respectively, hitting record levels in some EU countries.

Combined, wind and solar met 40% of the 185 TWh shortfall in hydropower and nuclear generation in 2022.

But Brown stressed that “the barriers preventing the rapid deployment of onshore wind power must be removed,” as the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan proposed to raise the renewable energy target from 40% to 45% by 2030.

Last month, wind lobby group WindEurope reported that Europe had invested just EUR 17bn in new wind farms in 2022 for a capacity of 12 GW, its lowest level of investments since 2009. It estimated that, for the EU to meet its 2030 targets, the bloc needed to build 31 GW of new wind turbines every year.