next
previous
items
European Union flag
Home
Topics
Analysis and data
Countries
Newsroom
About us

Transforming the EU power sector: avoiding a carbon lock-in

Publication Created 04 Oct 2016 Published 07 Oct 2016
1 min read
Transforming the EU power sector: avoiding a carbon lock-in
With fossil fuels still contributing to roughly half of the electricity generated in Europe, moving away from a carbon-intensive power supply over the next few decades will require a commitment to increase investment in clean technology, restructure the fossil fuel energy infrastructure and ensure a secure and affordable power supply. In this context, this report fills an important information gap by looking at: • the theoretical evolution of fossil fuel capacity by 2030 in the absence of strong drivers to counter present trends; • how this hypothetical evolution would fit in with the need to create a qualitatively different EU power sector by 2030 and beyond, in line with EU climate goals.
Downloading: PDF document icon Transforming the EU power sector- avoiding a carbon lock-in.pdf — PDF document, 8.10 MB (8491043 bytes)
Publication Created 04 Oct 2016 Published 07 Oct 2016
1 min read
EEA Report No 22/2016
With fossil fuels still contributing to roughly half of the electricity generated in Europe, moving away from a carbon-intensive power supply over the next few decades will require a commitment to increase investment in clean technology, restructure the fossil fuel energy infrastructure and ensure a secure and affordable power supply. In this context, this report fills an important information gap by looking at: • the theoretical evolution of fossil fuel capacity by 2030 in the absence of strong drivers to counter present trends; • how this hypothetical evolution would fit in with the need to create a qualitatively different EU power sector by 2030 and beyond, in line with EU climate goals.

Download

See additional files

Order information

Order a printed copy on the EU Publications website

: 978-92-9213-809-7
: TH-AL-16-021-EN-N

Additional Files

Related content

News and articles

Building the foundations for fundamental change Achieving sustainability will require fundamental, transformative, and cross-cutting change, entailing major shifts in society’s goals, incentives, technologies, social practices and norms, as well as in knowledge systems and governance approaches.
Climate finance: resources for low-carbon, climate-resilient Europe Our climate is changing. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the rate of climate change, and at the same time, take measures that help us prepare for current and future impacts. Both of these strands of action require unprecedented redirection of investments. This was acknowledged by the climate conferences in Paris and recently in Marrakesh. The finance sector can and will play an instrumental role in supporting Europe’s transition towards a low- carbon, climate-resilient society.
Decommissioning fossil fuel power plants between now and 2030 essential for Europe’s low carbon future Significant changes will be needed in the Member States’ energy-generating mix if the European Union is to meet its 2050 goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95 % compared to 1990 levels, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today. While the European Union has made considerable progress in improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources, a well-planned transition out of carbon-intensive power generation is needed to meet the long-term aim of creating a low-carbon society.

Related briefings

Greening the power sector: benefits of an ambitious implementation of Europe's environment and climate policies Europe's electricity generation still relies largely on fossil fuels as an energy source and thus contributes to emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), dust and nitrogen oxides (NOx), among other pollutants. A new EEA assessment shows that with an ambitious implementation of new requirements under the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, Member States can significantly reduce pollutant emissions and thus minimise their potential harmful effects on the environment and human health. There is also a close link between future reductions in pollutant emissions and EU climate and energy policy, which drives growth in renewables and the switch towards cleaner fuels in the remaining power plants. A more fundamental restructuring of the power sector is, however, needed to meet the EU's long-term decarbonisation targets.
Releases of pollutants to the environment from Europe's industrial sector – 2015 The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) ensures public access to information on pollutant releases to the environment from Europe’s largest industrial facilities. This briefing, based upon recently updated E-PRTR data, provides details of Europe’s largest emitting facilities for selected key pollutants in 2015. A more detailed assessment of the large combustion plants (LCP) sector also highlights the ongoing shift away from certain fossil fuels in the sector over the past decade, as well as improvements made to the sector’s environmental performance.

See also

Permalinks

Geographic coverage

For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/transforming-the-eu-power-sector or scan the QR code.

PDF generated on 22 Nov 2024, 01:02 AM

EEA Page URL QR

Tags

Filed under:
Document Actions
The EEA is an agency of the European Union

Engineered by: EEA Web Team

Software updated on 26 September 2023 08:13 from version 23.8.18

Software version: EEA Plone KGS 23.9.14

Code for developers

Systems Status

Legal notice

Creative commons license

CMS login