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Power Statistics2010 EditionSynopsis
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The Union of the Electricity IndustryEURELECTRIC is the sector association representing
the common interests of the Electricity Industry at pan-European level, plus its afliates and
associates on several other continents.
In line with its mission, EURELECTRIC seeks to contribute to the competitiveness of the
Electricity Industry, to provide effective representation for the industry in public affairs, and
to promote the role of electricity both in the advancement of society and in helping provide
solutions to the challenges of sustainable development.
EURELECTRICs formal opinions, policy positions and reports are formulated in Working
Groups, composed of experts from the Electricity Industry, supervised by ve Committees.
This structure of expertise ensures that EURELECTRICs published documents are based
on high-quality input with up-to-date information.
For further information on EURELECTRIC activities, visit our website www.eurelectric.org, whichprovides general information on the association and on policy issues relevant to the Electricity
Industry; latest news of our activities; EURELECTRIC positions and statements; a publications
catalogue listing EURELECTRIC reports; and information on our events and conferences.
EURELECTRIC pursues in all its activities the application of the following sustainable development values:
Economic Development
Growth, added-value, efciency
Environmental Leadership
Commitment, innovation, pro-activeness
Social Responsibility
Transparency, ethics, accountability
Union of the Electricity Industry EURELECTRIC A.I.S.B.L.
Boulevard de lImpratrice, 66 Bote 2 B- 1000 Brussels Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 515 10 00 Fax: + 32 2 515 10 10
www.eurelectric.org
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Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis 1
Foreword
The electricity industry has been steadily reducing its carbon footprint in recent years. Whilst
a double-digit growth has been attained in terms of electricity production, the carbon dioxide
emissions in the EU-27 have roughly stabilised, which shows a clear decrease in the carbon contentof each kilowatt-hour of electricity supplied. This decrease is the result of large-scale introduction
of carbon-neutral generation capacity into the system as well as more advanced, clean technologies
for conventional plants.
I am happy to share with you Power Statistics 2010, the 38th edition of the EURELECTRIC statistical
yearbook (formerly called EURPROG). Building on the expertise of our members, this report aims
to give a better understanding of the European electricity sector and its latest developments.
Beyond historical data, Power Statistics 2010 also delivers perspectives on 2020 and 2030 to show
the trends to carbon-neutral electricity.
An affordable, secure and sustainable supply of electricity is one of the cornerstones of modern
society. The electricity industry plays a key role in advancing towards a low-carbon economy
and society. Firstly, the industry is committed to decreasing its own emissions even further. With
the right economy-wide framework in place, EURELECTRICs objective is to achieve a 90% CO2
emission reduction by 2050 over 2005 levels, as laid out in our Power Choices study. Secondly,
carbon-neutral electricity, by steadily increasing its share in the energy mix and especially
in applications such as transport and heating & cooling, will then provide the basis for carbon
neutrality of our societies at large. However, many challenges still lie ahead of us: the deployment
of all low-carbon technologies, the integration of electricity markets currently constrained by
national borders, a major paradigm shift towards the electrication of society, and nally the
right political framework, which depends on policymakers decisions and on the support of the
general public.
Power Statistics 2010 provides you with the latest available statistics. For us, primary and
independent data from the electricity industry constitute the very ingredient for decision-making:
a solid basis for assessing the current situation, as well as the way ahead.
Lars G. Josefsson
President of EURELECTRIC
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5Key Messages
Electricity demand rose by 70%
between 1980 and 2008
This trend towards electrication is expected to continue and reects the
substitution of fossil fuels with electricity in prime sectors such as heating
and transport (Figures 1 & 5).
Electricity Efciency is increasing
Power Statistics 2010 shows a clear de-coupling of electricity generation
from fuel consumption, a trend that is expected to become even more
signicant in the next 20 years (Figure13).
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The electricity industry
is reducing its emissionsPower Statistics2010 sheds light on a continuous decrease in CO
2emissions,
as well as in other gases (SO2
and NOx ). CO
2emissions from electricity
generation fell by 33 % in relative terms between 1980 and 2008, and will
be more than halved by 2030. Compared to 1980, SO2
emissions have been
reduced by 80 % and NOx
emissions by 60 % (Figures14-17).
Power is and will be generated
using all available technologies
Power Statistics 2010 shows that the entire range of power generation
technologies has been used, although the proportions have shifted over
time. This diversied mix is crucial to ensure security of supply and to
achieve an optimal balance between intermittent renewable energy sources(RES) and exible and back-up capacity (Figures9-11).
The electricity industry is investing
signicantly in RES
Power Statistics 2010 shows that the electricity industry has taken up
the challenge and has become a signicant investor in new RES (mainly
wind, solar and biomass), whose capacity in 2008 was almost 60 times the
capacity in 1980. But for the industry to deliver in an optimal way carbon-
neutral, commercially viable, at affordable prices an integrated European
electricity market is needed (Figure12).
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Power Statistics2010 gathers the latest available data from the electricity sector, with forecasts up to 2030.
It contains referenced data: from EURELECTRIC members from all 27 EU member states, as well as from Switzerland, Norway
and Turkey;
for the years 1980, 1990, 2000, 2007, 2008, as well as forecasts for 2010, 2020 and 2030.
concerning: the structure of the electricity industry;
trends in general economic indicators;
peak demand and load management;
medium and long-term generating prospects; sectoral electricity consumption;
electricity balances;
fuel consumption in and emissions from the electricity sector.
Power Statistics2010 primarily contains data from 2008, although preliminary information on 2009 has
also been gathered and is partly integrated into the report.
The synopsis of EURELECTRICs Power Statistics 2010 conveys key messages about the electricity
industry and its position in Europe.
What is Power Statistics 2010?
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Setting the Scene:
Macroeconomic and Regulatory Trends
With the world economy in turmoil from late 2008, the recession
began affecting the electricity sector severely from 2009
onwards. Between 2008 and 2009 overall energy consumption
in the EU-27 decreased by 5.5 %.1
While not explicitly reected in the 2008 gures, the economic
downturn appears very clearly in the provisional 2009 data
incorporated into this report. Energy-intensive industries
reduced their consumption signicantly, thus reducing total
electricity consumption. Electricity demand was affected from
2008 or 2009 onwards (depending on the country in question),
showing negative consumption trends. Total EU electricitydemand dropped, between 2008 and 2009, by 4.2 % from
3,165 TWh to 3,034 TWh (see Figure 1).
Despite the overall decrease in electricity demand, national
patterns vary widely the economic crisis did not strike evenly
throughout Europe. In 2009, Slovenia experienced the biggest
year-on-year decrease, with a decline of 10.9 %. Slovakia,
Hungary and Estonia also experienced cuts exceeding 8 %. As
for the large electricity consuming countries, demand fell by 6.5 %
in Italy, by 5.2 % in Germany, by 4.3 % in Spain and by 3.9 % in
the UK. Within this category, only France saw a lower decrease
of1.6 %. Similar decreases (between 1 and 2 percentage points)
were registered in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Romania.
The only country with rising demand was Cyprus (+ 2 %).
Figure 1: EU-27Total electricity demand (EU-27)
Economic crisis and electricity demand downturn
1 Source: DG ENER, Energy Trends 2030.
Total demand (TWh)
0
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
3500
3000
1980 1990 2000 2007 2008 2009
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Outlook up to 2030
Gross domestic product trends
Although economic growth is expected to resume from 2010
onwards, the recent recession will have a long-term impact even
beyond 2015. It will be difcult to recover the important losses in
gross domestic product (GDP) across Europe in the near future.
Average EU growth prospects for 2011 and 2012 are indicated to
be around 1 %. A further increase in GDP across Europe is to be
expected from 2013 onwards.
A breakdown of the EU-27 GDP (see Figure 2) reveals the dominant
role of services (including transportation). Both the industry
and services sectors recover after 2010, partially offsetting the
negative effects of the 2008-2009 crisis. Sustained recovery will
then occur between 2020 and 2030.
Based on these gures, the standard of living in Europe (GDPper capita) is expected to increase at a low rate of roughly 1-2 %
annually, near or even above ination rates. Recovery will be
very unequal across Europe, and forecasts are contradictory
and require further detailed analysis. The resulting, increased
pressure on all resource requirements and infrastructure,
including energy, electricity and associated networks, means
that strong incentives for investment will be needed.
Demography: low population growthto be offset by dynamic migration
Demographic trends within the EU-27 will continue to follow a
low growth scenario ( see Figure 3 ), with some countries on a
negative growth track. For instance, the German population will
drop from 82 million in 2008 to 78 million in 2030, while Italys
population of approximately 60 million is expected to decrease
to 58 million during the same period. Dynamic immigration is
expected to be an important factor in offsetting this trend.
Breakdown of Gross Domestic Product
2000
0
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
16000
14000
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
GDP(2000
prices)
Agriculture
Industry
Services
Gross Domestic Product
Demographic evolution of the EU population
0
500
400
300
200
100
700
600
1980 1990 2000 2007 202020102008 2030
463.648476.199 488.145
503.076 505.305 506.948515.345 521.653
Figure 2: Breakdown of EU-27gross domestic product
(billion euros at2000 price levels and exchange rate)
Figure3: Demographic evolution of the EU population
(thousands, at year end)
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Fossil fuel price trends:continuous increase up to 2030
Oil prices are expected to increase up to 2030, as forecast by
the Prometheus model developed by the National Technical
University of Athens (see Figure 4 ). They would rise to 72
Euros/bbl by 2015 and to roughly 106 Euros/bbl by 2030. Gas
prices will follow a similar curve, albeit at lower price levels.
Coal prices will rise to 17 Euros/boe in 2015 and stabilise at
around 29 Euros/boe by 2030. Thus, fossil fuel prices for oil,
gas and coal are all expected to increase throughout the entire
projection period.
Electricity demand grows steadily
EURELECTRICs Power Choices study foresees electricity demand
to grow steadily over the next decades, substituting fossil fuels
as the primary source of energy (see Figure 5). This will primarily
materialise because of a shift in some high consumption sectors,
namely transport and heating. The increased use of electronic
appliances will push electricity consumption even further. Final
curves will appear to atten, since energy efciency measures
(including generation efciency), demand side measures (DSM),
smart grids as well as other new technologies applied to the
sector are expected to contribute.
Electricity Share (%) in the Energy Mix
5
10
0
35
30
25
20
15
50
45
40
1990 2000 2005 2010 2020 2030
share
Solids
Oil
Gas
Electricity
Steam/Heat
renewables
Fossil Fuel Prices in Baseline (Constant Euro of 2008 per boe)
20
0
100
80
60
40
120
1980 1990 19951985 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Oil
Gas (NCV)
Coal
105.88
76.59
29.35
88.41
62.11
25.81
71.88
44.18
17.22
Figure 4: Energy price trends up to 2030 Figure 5: Share of electricity in the overall EU energy mix
Source: DG ENER, Energy Trends 2030, 2010, based on Prometheus. Source: EURELECTRIC, Power Choices, June 2010. Values here are
shown as nal consumption, and electricity values do not include
electricity consumption of the electricity sector.
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Figure 6 summarises some of the most recent EU policy
developments. The implementation of the third liberalisation
package is on the agenda for early 2011. Yet with the second
liberalisation package still not fully implemented across member
states, a full implementation of the third liberalisation package
cannot be expected before 2015 at the earliest. Completing
the internal energy market remains an ambitious project, with
interconnectors gaining prominence, as within the European
Commissions infrastructure package. An integrated European
electricity market is key for EURELECTRICs members.
Along with the opening of energy markets, the EU agreed upon
an ambitious climate and energy package aimed at fostering
the development of less carbon-intensive energy systems.
Policy and regulatory trends: decarbonisation,
market integration and security of supply
The RES Directive (Directive 2009/28 ), the setting up of a
regulatory framework for the development of carbon capture
and storage (CCS) (Directive 2009/31 ), and the amended ETS
Directive (Directive 2009/29 ) represent major steps towards
the decarbonisation of the EU economy. Furthermore, energy
efciency is expected to become a priority from the beginning
of2011 onwards, when a revised Energy Efciency Action Plan
will be brought forward by the European Commission.
As a strong supporter of the EUs three main energy policy
objectives the completion of the single European energy
market, decarbonisation and energy security EURELECTRIC is
in permanent consultation with the European Commission on
the new legislation and its implementation.
Figure 6: EU-27policy trends
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ...up to 2020 ...up to 2030 ...up to 2040...up to 2050
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ...up to 2020...up to 2030 ...up to 2040 ...up to 2050
EnergyStrategy
Security ofSupply (SoS)
Market
Liberalisation
Renewables20% by 2020
Emissions-20% by 2020EnergyEfficiency-20% by 2020
EU Policy Developments
an energy policy for europe
2nd strategic energy review
eu energy strategy 2020
eu infrastructure package
1st res directive
2nd res directive
res financing communication
ets phase 1 ets phase 2 ets phase 3
1st liberalisation package 2nd liberalisation package 3rd liberalisation package
1st ee action plan 2nd ee action plan 3rd ee action plan
eu roadmap 2050 (climate, move, energy)
electricity SoS directive
gas SoS directive gas SoS regulation
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Electricity Statistics
Electricity demand increases,driven by heating and transport
Over a period of nearly three decades, from 1980 to 2008,
electricity demand increased by more than 70 % (see Figure 1
above). While the economic crisis led to a reduction in demand
of about 4.2 %, the shift towards electrication, as well as the
recovery of electricity demand from industry and services,
means growth will resume before 2020.
All sectors agriculture, industry, transport, services,
as well as households are expected to increase theirelectricity consumption up to 2020 ( see Figure 7 ). Whilst
industrial consumption will stabilise at around pre-crisis
levels in the range of1,200 - 1,300 TWh consumption by
services is expected to rise from about 600 TWh (2008 ) to
900 TWh by 2020. A spectacular shift will occur in household
consumption, with a 40 % increase driven by the expected
electrific ation of heating, as well as for example the increased
usage of IT and electronic entertainment devices. Electricity
consumption in the transport sector is also set to achieve
double digit growth, assuming large-scale electrificationof road transportation.
Demand Trends
2 * For the sake of completeness, estimations have been performed by EURELECTRICs Secretariat in order to gain a comprehensive picture for the
EU-27. As a consequence, it must be noted that this table differs from the table published in the full report.
1980 1990 2000 2007 2008 2010* 2020*
Final Consumption 1,703.6 2,175.4 2,633.0 2,928.0 2,938.9 2,595.0 3,242.2
of which Agriculture 46.2 59.1 60.5 55.9 57.0 52.9 62.6
Industry 892.1 1,060.6 1,180.5 1,235.4 1,226.4 1,059.2 1,288.0
Transport 48.9 61.6 74.6 79.3 76.1 66.0 98.1
Services 262.8 427.2 595.4 607.0 606.4 660.6 888.9
Households 405.5 562.6 716.2 655.3 653.7 745.9 904.6
Figure 7: Annual electricity consumption by sector2
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Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis 11
Generation Trends
Installed capacity vs. electricity generation:independent trends
Figure 9 clearly reveals the importance of the capacity factor
of generating capacities. Different generation sources have
different capacity factors, which are inuenced by the type of
resource used, the technology, etc.3 Therefore, the shares of
installed capacity for different technologies do not necessarily
translate into the same shares in electricity production.
Thus, although nuclear represented roughly one sixth of total
generating capacity in 2008, its actual share of electricity production
was almost one third, since nuclear power plants are commonly
run in base-load mode. By contrast, hydro capacities in the EU-27,
which represented a similar share of generating capacity, yielded
lower values of electricity production due to the several different
running modes of hydro power plants. The low capacity factor of
wind and solar (grouped under other renewables in Figure9)
translated into relatively low electricity generation gures compared
to installed capacity. However, this discrepancy does not apply to
biomass plants, which tend to run in base-load or mid-merit mode.
A new, less carbon-intensive mix emerges
Figures 9 and 10 give an overview of the development of
electricity generation in the EU-27 between 1980 and 2008, as
well as indications of future expected production. While nuclear
production has stabilised in the last decade, fossil-fuel red and
RES generation have increased their respective shares in 2008.
Thus, between 2000 and 2008, conventional thermal production
increased by just 13 % to 1,729 TWh, while RES generation
mainly driven by wind experienced a real boom, increasing by
240 % to reach 226 TWh. Carbon-free electricity thus accounted
for roughly 46 % of total generation in 2008.
According to the assumptions of EURELECTRIC members (Figure
10 ), low-carbon generation sources such as RES, hydro and
nuclear will constitute the major generation source by 2020,
delivering more than 2,000 TWh, compared to 1,692 TWh from
fossil fuels (53 % vs. 46 %). Low-carbon generation sources
will continue to dominate the generation mix thereafter, thanks
to a major increase of RES in electricity generation, as well as
an increase in nuclear production. The data for 2030 show
low-carbon electricity generation reaching some 60 % of total
electricity production.
3 The capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of the actual electricity produced in a given period to the hypothetical maximum possible,
i.e. its output if it had continuously operated at full nameplate capacity.
Figure 9: Installed capacity vs. electricity generation
Figure 10: Evolution of electricity production in the EU-27
Hydro
11%
Hydro
17%
Electricity Generation in 2008
Nuclear
28%
Fossil Fuel Fire
53%
Fossil Fuel Fired
56%
Other Renewables7%
Not Specified
1%
Installed Capacity in 2008
Nuclear
16%
Other Renewables
11%
Not Specified
0%
Hydro10%
Hydro9%
Electricity Production 2020 (TWh)
Nuclear26%
Conventional Thermal46%
Conventional Thermal40%
Other Res17%
Not Specified1%
Electricity Production 2030 (TWh)
Nuclear29%
Other Res22%
Not Specified0%
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Capacity by technology: use them all
A closer look at generation capacity by technology clearly
demonstrates that the European electricity mix builds on a wide
variety of energy sources and is set to remain highly diversied
(see Figure11).
RES capacity takes off
The advent of new RES, with hydro retaining an important
share, is conrmed as a major trend. Between 1980 and 2008,
RES capacity (mainly wind, solar and biomass) increased
almost 60 times from about 1,600 MW to more than 93,000 MW.
This trend is forecast to continue up to 2030, when RES
generation capacity will have increased to 370,400 MW. As
the major renewable energy source in the EU-27, hydropower
accounted for roughly 142,000 MW of installed capacity in
2008 compared to 99,000 MW in 1980. Although hydropower
capacity is projected to only marginally increase by 2030,
its role will remain crucial: in certain EU areas it will provide
an important back-up for intermittent renewable generation
such as wind and solar power.
Nuclear power retains its importance
Nuclear energy, which some years ago was expected to be
phased out in some major EU member states, is assumed
to remain a major generation source, representing slightly
over a third of the capacity provided by fossil fuels in 2030.
Although the current trend of growing nuclear capacity is set
to continue at a slower pace in the next 20 years, nuclear will
represent nearly three times the generation capacity available
in 2030 compared to 1980 (154,700 MW against 42,400 MW).
Power Statistics 2010 takes into account the latest policy
developments so that the new assumptions for nuclear arereected in the tables: in Sweden, as in Germany, the phase-
out period of nuclear energy has been extended, with an
average lifetime extension in Germany of 12 years. Further,
Poland and Italy are assumed to build up nuclear capacity
by 2030.4
Figure 11: Evolution of installed capacity in the EU-27in 2020
and2030
Hydro15%
Installed Capacity 2020 (MW)
Nuclear13%
Conventional Thermal44%
Other Res27%
Not Specified1%
Hydro14%
Other Res33%
Conventional Thermal39%
Installed Capacity 2030 (MW)
Nuclear14%
Not Specified0%
4 It must be noted here that Italian forecasts have been taken from EURELECTRICs Power Choices report, which stipulated that nuclear power
re-enters the Italian generation mix by 2020 and then increases at constant pace throughout the following decade.
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Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis 13
The climate dimension: towards carbon-free electricity
Fossil fuel capacities remain, but a strong shift towards carbon
reduction can be witnessed.
Natural gas has been displacing oil and coal in the last
decades, creating the so-called dash-for-gas. Thanks to the
lower carbon content of the primary fuel, shorter construction
lead-times and lower capital costs, a major deployment of
combined cycle gas turbine plants (CCGTs) has been witnessed
throughout the continent, with capacity of gas-dependent
electricity increasing nearly fourfold from 37,266 MW in 1980
to 138,745 MW in 2008. Natural gas is assumed to further
increase in the upcoming decades, albeit at a slower pace.
As back-up capacity, it will play a fundamental role in exibly
complementing the integration of intermittent renewables
electricity into the EU electricity market.
Oil-based electricity generation fell by more than 70 % between
1980 and 2008. Nevertheless, oil-red generating units are
still used for peaking purposes, i.e. in times of high electricity
demand. Furthermore, some countries, especially small island
systems such as Malta and Cyprus, still rely on oil to generate
their electricity, although a shift towards gas is envisaged.
Among solids, coal and lignite have experienced different
evolution patterns. Despite maintaining or even increasing
its absolute volumes, hard coal saw its shares plunge from
44 % to 30 % of total fossil fuel fired production between
1980 and 2008. By contrast, the use of lignite has been
growing steadily both in absolute and in relative terms (f rom
16 % in 1980 to 18 % in 2008 ), driven by its abundance in
some EU countries.
According to EURELECTRICs Power Choices Study carbon
capture and storage (CCS) will inuence the future use ofcoal and gas in the generation mix, provided the technology
reaches maturity and commercial roll-out starts in the period
2020-2025.
Figure 12: Generating capacity in the EU-27in 2009compared
to 2008 and2007(MW)
2007 2008 2009 2008/2007 2009/2008
Nuclear 132,855 132,882 132,876 27 -6
Conventional Thermal 436,464 446,936 456,967 10,472 10,031
Hydro 140,894 141,788 142,617 893 829
Other RES 77,983 93,342 107,491 15,359 14,149
of which Wind 55,394 63,611 74,335 8,217 10,724
Total 791,233 815,515 841,732 24,282 26,217
New installed capacities: RES dominates
As shown in Figure 12, some 25 GW of new capacity have been
added between 2007 and 2008, the majority of which (around60 %) was RES. Looking at the conventional eet, numbers
seem to suggest that the majority of new fossil-fuelled plants
are red with natural gas rather than coal and oil. The reversal
of phasing out and nuclear lifetime extension in countries like
Sweden and Germany add, mathematically, new capacities,
although without setting up new plants. Preliminary statisticsconrm that all generation sources increased their capacity
in 2009 compared to 2008, with RES increasing from
93,342 MW to 107,491 MW. Wind made up over two thirds of
total installed RES capacity.
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Increasing foreseeable not available capacity,the need for generation investment and for abalanced generation portfolio
A look at capacity balances across the EU reveals an increase in
total foreseeable not available capacity in nearly all EU member
states. Spain for example witnessed an increase from 20,902
MW in 2007 to 24,131 MW in 2008. Foreseeable not available
capacity is set to increase to 45,825 MW in 2020 and to 62,280
MW in 2030. Similar trends can be witnessed in many other
countries.
There are two reasons for this trend: on the one hand, the ageing
generation park and related maintenance requirements are
responsible for the current slight increase in foreseeable not
available capacity. There is an urgent need to get investmentconditions right to renew the generation park in many European
countries. On the other hand, the non-dispatchable character of
intermittent RES will accentuate this trend in the future. This fact
underlines the need to improve the interaction between different
generation sources, as well as the need to use them all to offset
intermittency with non-intermittent conventional sources.
Power balances and the need for a single
European electricity market
Unequal net transfer capacities conrmthe need for a European electricity market
A countrys net transfer capacity refers to the capacity available
for exports at peak times. Based on available data, the situation
of EU member states is quite diverse. Signicant available net
transfer capacities exist in Europes northern and Alpine regions,
for example in Sweden or Switzerland (8,570 MW and 6,000 MW
respectively in 2008 ). National scenarios foresee an important
increase especially between 2020 and 2030 in countries like
Spain. More interconnections and a more integrated European
electricity market are the best answers to making the most of
existing capacities across Europe.
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Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis 15
Increasing electricity generation,decreasing fuel consumption
Electricity generation vs. fuel consumption
Power Statistics 2010 shows that, while overall electricity
generation in the EU will substantially increase between 1980
and 2030 (from 1,835 TWh to 4,076 TWh), fuel consumption for
electricity generation is expected to remain stable at 1980 levels
(13,406.6 PJ in 1980 compared to 13,692.8 PJ in 2030)5. This
is mainly due to a decreasing share of solid fuels in electricity
generation, as well as to increasing gas consumption. Figure 13
clearly shows the de-coupling of electricity generation and fuel
consumption for the period 1980-2030.
Power Statistics 2010 also shows that fossil fuels are being used
more efciently to generate electricity. This efciency is projectedto improve further at a comparable rate to the last ten years.
For conventional power plants, efciency is the ratio between
primary energy input and the electricity actually delivered. The
commissioning of new, more efcient stations, coupled with the
decommissioning of older power stations with low efciency
levels, is already driving down relative fuel consumption in
thermal generation. It is set to decrease even further with the
commercial roll-out of new generating technologies.
Environment
Decoupling of electricity generationand electricity-related emissions
CO2
emissions: towards carbon neutrality
While electricity generation has increased, a decoupling of
generation from CO2
emissions can be observed (see Figure 14).
In fact, Power Statistics 2010 shows that absolute electricity-
related CO2
emissions in the EU-27 have only increased slightly
between 1980 and 2008 (from 1,027 GT CO2
in 1980 to 1,206 GT
in 2008) and will drop signicantly to 937 GT CO2
by 2030.
5 The gures do not take into account all EU member states.
Figure 13: Evolution of electricity generation vs. fuel
consumption in the EU-27 (1990 baseline)
Figure 14: Evolution of electricity generation and CO2
emissions
in the EU-27 (1990 baseline)
Electricity generation & CO2 emissions (1990 baseline)
120100
80
60
40
20
0
200
180
160
140
1980 200820071990 2000 2010 2020 2030
%o
f1990Va
lue
Electricity Generation
Electricity-related CO2 Emissions
CO2 Specific Emissions
300
200
100
0
600
500
400
1980 200820071990 2000 2010 2020 2030
g/kWh
Electricity Generation & Fuel Consumptionfor electricity generation (1990 baseline)
100
50
0
200
150
1980 200820071990 2000 2010 2020 2030
%o
f1990V
alue
Electricity Generation
Total Fuel Consumption for Electricity Generation
Power Statistics 2010 also shows that signicant steps have
been taken in reducing carbon intensity, even though electricity
generation still relies heavily on thermal plants. Between 1980
and 2008, the European electricity sector reduced its CO2
specic emissions from 559.7 g/kWh to 374.6 g/kWh. By 2030,emissions will have fallen to 230 g/kWh (see Figure 15).
Figure 15: Evolution of CO2
specic emissions in the EU-27
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16 Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis
Air pollutants: reducing SO2
and NOx
The electricity industry is also on track towards a major reduction
of its SO2
and NOx emissions by 2030. SO2
emissions have been
reduced by 80 % between 1980 and 2008, falling from 17,000
kt to 3,500 kt in the same period. Trends for NOx
emissions are
similar: they have been reduced by 60 % between 1980 and
2008, falling from 3,740 kt to 1,500 kt. Figure 16 clearly shows a
de-coupling of electricity production and SO2
and NOx
emissions
for the period 1980-2008.
SO2
and NOx
specic emissions have also been signicantly
reduced since 1980. SO2
specic emissions fell from 9.3 g/kWh
in 1980 to 1.1 g/kWh in 2008, whereas NOx
specic emissions
decreased from 2 g/kWh in 1980 to 0.5 g/kWh in 2008 (see
Figure 17).
Figure 16: Evolution of electricity generation and SO2
and NOx
emissions in the EU-27 (1990 baseline)
Figure17: Evolution of SO2
and NOx
specic emissions in the EU-27
SO2
Specific Emissions
4
2
0
1
3
5
7
9
10
8
6
1980 20071990 2000 2008
g/kWh
NOx Specific Emissions
1.2
0.6
0
0.3
0.9
1.5
2.1
2.4
1.8
1980 20071990 2000 2008
g/kWh
Electricity Generation & SO2
and NOx
emissions(1990 baseline)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
200
180
160
140
1980 200820071990 2000 2010 2020 2030
%o
f1990V
alue
Electricity Generation
Electricity-related NOx Emissions
Electricity-related SO2 Emissions
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Power Statistics 2010 Edition Synopsis 17
Please address all enquiries relating to Power Statistics 2010 to: Giuseppe Lorubio [email protected] and
Charlotte Renaud [email protected]
The full report Power Statistics2010 is available free of charge for all EURELECTRIC members.
For non-members, please visit http://www.eurelectric.org/PowerStats 2010.
The data provided in Power Statistics2010 Synopsis Report are based on estimates provided by EURELECTRICs Networkof Experts on Statistics & Prospects. The gures may be considered as best engineering estimates and should be
regarded as possible future trajectories only. While EURELECTRIC has taken reasonable care in the preparation of this
report, no claims, expressed or implied, are made as to the accuracy or completeness of its content. For any investment
activity, further detailed analysis is recommended.
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Union of the Electricity Industry - EURELECTRICBoulevard de lImpratrice, 66 bote 2 tel: + 32 (0)2 515 10 001000 Brussels fax: + 32 (0)2 515 10 10
Belgium website: www.eurelectric.org Coverdesignbywww.generis.be/p
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