European industry continues to reduce energy consumption. By the end of 2024, the amount of energy used in the EU industrial sector was 8.1% lower than ten years ago. At the same time, enterprises are increasingly switching to renewable energy sources and biofuels. This is evidenced by the latest data from Eurostat.
Renewable energy has outpaced petroleum products
In 2024, renewable energy sources and biofuels outstripped petroleum products in terms of final consumption in the European industry for the first time. Their share reached 11.3%, or 999 petajoules (PJ).
The largest source of energy for industry remains electricity -2,945 PJ, which corresponds to 33.3% of total consumption. The second position is occupied by natural gas with an index of 2,817 PJ and a share of 31.9%.
Petroleum products provided 10.4% of energy consumption (922 PJ), while solid fossil fuels and thermal energy had the same share — 5.5% each. Non-renewable waste accounted for 2.1% of the total volume.
Fossil fuels are losing ground
Compared to 2023, most types of energy resources have shown a decrease in consumption. The use of fossil fuels decreased the most - by 34.8%. A significant drop was also recorded in the thermal energy segment, where consumption decreased by 23.7%.
At the same time, renewable energy has become one of the few areas that have shown growth. Over the year, the volume of energy use from renewable sources and biofuels increased by 24.3%, which confirms the further course of the European industry towards decarbonization and reduction of dependence on traditional fuels.
