According to figures published by Eurostat, primary and final energy consumption in the European Union (EU) rose by 1% in 2017. More specifically, primary energy consumption reached 1,561 Mtoe, while final energy consumption reached 1,222 Mtoe. Primary energy consumption declined in eight countries including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, while it rose in Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Malta. Final energy consumption declined in only four countries: Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy and Slovenia.
This 1% hike in 2017 was the third year of increase in a row, which means that the gap to the EU’s energy efficiency target for 2020 has continued to widen. Indeed, the EU energy efficiency target intends to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020 and stipulates that the primary and final energy consumption figures should not exceed 1,483 Mtoe and 1,086 Mtoe by 2020, respectively. According to the 2017 results, EU primary energy consumption was 5.3% higher than the 2020 energy efficiency objectives (3.3% higher for final energy consumption).
Besides, the revised Energy Efficiency Directive sets out a new energy efficiency objective for 2030, pursuant to which primary and final energy consumption figures should remain lower than 1,273 Mtoe and 956 Mtoe.