New Energy

Europe’s Fossil Fuel Use Is Set to Plummet in 2023, Report Says

A wind turbine at the Pujalt wind farm, operated by Parque Eolico Pujalt S.L., beyond the village of Sant Mart Sesgueioles in the Anoia region of Catalonia, Spain, on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Spain aims to get almost three-quarters of its electricity from renewables by the end of the decade, up from about 47% last year.Photographer: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg

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By Will Mathis

January 31, 2023 at 12:01 AM UTC

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The amount of electricity produced from burning fossil fuels in the European Union is set to plunge this year as the bloc focuses on renewables to replace energy supplies from Russia.

Total fossil generation could drop by 20% this year, with relatively expensive natural gas-fired generation falling the fastest, according to Ember, a UK-based energy think tank.

Europe has raced to find alternative energy sources after Russia cut gas flows in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, sending energy costs soaring. That led to greater reliance on fossil fuels, partially due to a drop in nuclear and hydropower, and contributed to an increase in emissions. Still, solar and wind energy filled in much of the gap, producing a record 22% of the EU’s electricity last year and overtaking gas for the first time.