April 7 this year reports on electricity and natural gas markets were published in the fourth quarter of 2019. The electricity market is noteworthy with a large decline in coal power plant production. However, in the case of natural gas, the growing role of LNG in the EU can be seen.
According to the report on the electricity market:
- Hard coal and lignite production in the last quarter of 2019 was 26% lower (39 TWh)
- Production of electricity from renewable sources increased by 29 TWh
- Gas sources provided 5 percent energy more than a year earlier
As a result of these changes, the share of renewable energy in the EU energy mix in the last quarter of 2019 was 35 percent. Throughout 2019, the EU electricity sector reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by around 12%.
Comparing EU electricity production sources in the whole of last year we can observe a decrease in production in hard coal power plants by 98 TWh, sources burning brown coal produced 45 TWh less energy. Oil and gas (10 TWh), water (25 TWh) and nuclear (5 TWh) power plants also declined. However, production in gas sources increased significantly last year, compared to 2018, by 88 TWh. Onshore wind farms generated about 40 TWh of electricity, and offshore by 13 TWh. Biomass (5 TWh) and solar (8 TWh) sources can also boast of an increase in production. The demand for electricity in the EU throughout the last year was lower by 33 TWh, compared to 2018.