Brussels – The decline in energy consumption by European industry is slowing. Overall, the figure has fallen from 12,795 PJ in 1990 to 8,835 PJ in 2024 (-30.9 per cent). However, taking a closer look, the picture appears less encouraging: compared to 2023, total final energy consumption in industry has remained largely stagnant, rising only 0.1 per cent in 2024, according to data released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union.
Is European industry therefore moving towards the EU’s decarbonisation targets? Looking at the data, some signs of commitment are emerging: in 2024, the shift away from solid fossil fuels continued, with their use falling by 79.8 per cent compared to 1990, as did that of oil and petroleum products (-58.3 per cent). At the same time, the slow but steady growth in the use of renewable energy and biofuels continues (+101.1 per cent).
Since 1990, electricity and natural gas have remained the two main energy sources for industry: in 2024, they accounted for almost two-thirds of final energy consumption in the EU’s industrial sector, at 33.3 per cent and 31.9 per cent, respectively. Renewable energy and biofuels ranked third (11.3 per cent), ahead of oil and petroleum products (10.4 per cent). The remaining energy came from solid fossil fuels (5.5 per cent), heat (5.5 per cent), and non-renewable waste (2.1 per cent). Furthermore, compared with 2014, consumption of most energy products decreased: the largest relative decreases were recorded for solid fossil fuels (-34.8 per cent) and heat (-23.7 per cent). The use of two energy products increased: non-renewable waste (+32.1 per cent) and renewable energy and biofuels (+24.3 per cent).
In 2024, the largest energy consumers in European industry were the chemical and petrochemical sectors, which remained dominant, accounting for 22.9 per cent of total final energy consumption in EU industry, followed by the non-metallic minerals sector (14.1 per cent). A new development was seen in the food, beverages and tobacco sector, which, at 13.8 per cent, overtook the paper, pulp, and printing industry for the first time. The only other sectors with consumption exceeding 10 per cent of the total were the paper, pulp and printing industry (12.1 per cent) and the steel sector (10.5 per cent).
The climate targets set out by the European Green Dealremain ambitious and, to achieve them, European industry will need to accelerate the transition. Furthermore, the possibility – currently under consideration – of relaxing the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) risks making it even harder to meet climate targets. The EU is asking industry for “more detailed data” on its energy consumption, in particular on the volumes of natural gas used across sectors, the degree of dependence on fossil fuels, and the potential to switch to more climate-friendly alternatives.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
