According to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), overall electricity consumption on the ENTSO-E perimeter decreased by 0.4% in 2013, compared to 2012, as a result of economic slowdown and energy efficiency efforts. In 2013, the peak load of the overall system reached 528.7 GW and was inferior to the historical maximum of 557.3 GW achieved in February 2012 due to the exceptional period of cold weather across Europe. Linked to the high level of hydro generation (an average increase of 4%) in the major ENTSO-E regions, generation from thermal power plants regressed by 6%. Meanwhile, global nuclear generation was almost steady, although, disparities among countries should be noted. The development of renewable sources (excluding hydro) remained important (12% increase between 2012 and 2013) and brought the overall share of renewables, excluding hydro, to 13% of the electricity generated by ENTSO-E members. In 2013, thermal capacities accounted for 47% of the installed capacity in Europe (44% of generation), followed by hydropower (20% of capacity, 18% of generation), other renewables (21% of capacity, 13% of generation) and nuclear (12% of capacity and 25% of generation).
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