The European Union’s efforts to significantly reduce energy consumption are beginning to yield results. Thus, according to oneanalyzes of the European Environment Agencyat the EU level, between 2005 and now there has been a marked decrease in primary energy consumption (16%) and final energy consumption by 8%, with the impact being greater at the industry level than at the household level.

Poland is the only country in the EU that consumed both primary and final energy. The EU wants an even greater rate of decline by 2023. The EU calls these cuts energy efficiency, but they could also be a sign of Europe’s deindustrialization.

• Final energy consumption is the energy used by end users such as households, transport, industry, etc.
• Primary energy consumption represents the total energy demand in a country, for example also energy used to generate electricity. This includes network losses.

The EU wants an even bigger drop in energy consumption

The EU’s ambition is to further reduce energy consumption by 2030.

In September 2023, the EU adopted the Energy Efficiency Directive, which set a binding 2030 target of 763 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) for final energy consumption and a target of 992.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent for primary energy consumption.

This would mean a reduction of approximately 20% in final energy consumption and approximately 21% in primary energy consumption compared to 2022 levels.

According to estimates, the level of final energy consumption at the EU level in 2022 was 954 million tne, and primary energy consumption was 1,259 million tne, which is 1.5% lower compared to 2021, respectively 4%.

Member countries also agreed to reduce gas demand by 15% compared to the average of the last five years.

“Achieving the 2030 targets will require annual reductions in energy consumption at a much faster rate than has been achieved over the past decade. It is highly unlikely that the EU will meet its 2030 energy efficiency targets without strong, immediate and decisive action to reduce energy consumption in the coming years,” the European Environment Agency said.

What is the situation in Romania?

According to the data, 20 member states reduced their final energy consumption between 2005 and 2022, with Greece, the Netherlands and Spain making the biggest reductions.

In addition, 25 member countries reduced their primary energy consumption, with the largest reductions in Greece, followed by France, Germany and Italy.

Poland is the only country that recorded growth in both final and primary energy consumption. According to the European Environment Agency, in Poland, against the background of a significant decrease in coal, the consumption of gas has increased significantly, as well as the consumption of renewable energy, which has tripled from 2005 to 2022.

Data from the European Environment Agency show that Romania experienced a slight increase in final energy consumption of around 2% and a decrease of more than 10% in primary energy consumption.

Energy efficiency or deindustrialization

The European Environment Agency believes that reducing energy consumption leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions and increases energy security. The agency says the drop in consumption was significant at the industry level and to a lesser extent at the household level.

The decrease in primary energy consumption (16%) was more important than in final consumption (8%). Replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources in electricity production usually reduces primary energy consumption without affecting final consumption. According to the European Environment Agency, the share of renewable energy in the EU has doubled since 2005.

According to her, other factors that contributed to the decrease in energy demand in the EU are energy-saving measures, structural changes at the industry level, in the sense that the emphasis is on the least energy-consuming, warmer winters.