Wind power EU’s largest energy source while gas consumption decreases

Wind energy is now the largest source of electricity in the European Union, after nuclear energy. The European Commission announced this on Wednesday in its annual energy report. On the other hand, gas consumption has fallen sharply (-18%).

In August, during the energy crisis, the European Union’s countries set a common objective: to voluntarily reduce their gas consumption by at least 15%. Two years later, the Union has exceeded the threshold.

No longer dependent on Russia

The European Union has succeeded in addressing critical risks to its energy supply security in recent years. For example, EU imports of Russian gas fell from 45 percent in 2021 to 18 percent in June 2024, showing that we no longer depend on Putin’s pipelines.

Norway and the United States have become the Union’s leading gas suppliers – in the first half of this year, they supplied 34% and 18% of the EU’s consumption, respectively.

Energy poverty

According to the Commission, the EU has regained control of the energy market and prices, although energy prices must be further reduced to improve the competitiveness of the EU industry.

Other efforts are also needed to reduce energy consumption – by 11.7% by 2030, as agreed. The electrification of heating equipment and the renovation of buildings must be accelerated.

The Member States and the EU must also tackle the growing energy poverty caused by the energy crisis and inflation. Member States can protect vulnerable residents, but emergency measures can be taken at the European level if natural gas prices rise enormously.