3.2 What is the source of the electricity we consume?

Over 40 % of the electricity consumed in the EU comes from power stations burning fossil fuels

Around 22 % of the final energy we consume is electricity and it comes from different sources. In the EU in 2016, 44 % of the electricity consumed came from power stations burning fossil fuels and 30 % from renewable energy sources, while 26 % came from nuclear power plants. Among the renewable energy sources, the highest share of electricity consumed came from hydropower plants (12 %), wind turbines (9 %), biofuels (6 %) and solar power (3 %).

The sources of electricity production vary among the Member States: around 90 % of electricity production came from fossil fuels in Estonia and Cyprus, while almost three quarters (72 %) of electricity production came from nuclear power plants in France, followed by 55 % in Slovakia and 51 % in Belgium. In Croatia and Austria, around 60 % of electricity production came from hydro power plants, while 42 % of electricity production in Denmark came from wind energy.