Power production in the European Union 2020-2023, by fuel

Nuclear plants are the main source of electricity in the European Union, accounting for approximately 619 terawatt-hours in 2023, around 20 percent of the power produced that year. Wind followed, with 470 terawatt-hours generated. Among fossil fuels, gas was the largest contributor, with some 450 terawatt-hours. 

Nuclear power in the EU

France is the main contributor to nuclear power production in the EU, accounting for almost half of the region’s total output in 2022. Spain and Sweden were also among the main producers that year. Despite remaining the leading source of electricity, nuclear power generation in the EU has been on a mostly downward trend for more than a decade, with many countries committed to shutting down remaining reactors like Germany did in April 2023.

Fossil fuel persistence in the EU

Renewable electricity production in the EU has grown in the past decade. Nevertheless, fossil fuels still persist in the region’s electricity mix, with over 800 terawatt-hours generated in 2023. In fact, coal-fired electricity production in the EU even increased in 2022. This was a result of low renewable output – in particular wind and hydropower – in addition to rising natural gas prices.