WEMO24-Compiled Report-Interactive compressed (002) 4154-7882-8116 v.1 - Flipbook - Page 122
Electricity consumption is not
rising as predicted in Europe
EU electricity demand fell by 3.4% (-94 TWh) in 2023 compared
to 2022 and was 6.4% (-186 TWh) lower than 2021 levels (when
the energy crisis began). It reached its lowest level in 20 years!
As for France, slowdowns in European economies are mainly
accountable for the decrease in demand. The industrial
slowdown was responsible for two-thirds of the net reduction
in EU electricity demand in 2022.
According to the IEA report1, overseas subsidies such as those
included the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) and
Japan’s Green Transformation Policy “are influencing production
curtailment, plant closures, and the pausing and diverting of
investment.”
Rate of electricity in the total energy
consumption
The share of electricity consumption in total energy consumption
differs between developed and developing countries.
Since electricity production and distribution require significant
and capital-intensive infrastructures, the electricity penetration
rate is higher in developed countries than in developing
countries (see figure 3).
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The evolution over the last 20 years shows a very small increase in
the share of electricity consumption in total energy consumption
in developed countries, such as those in Europe and the United
States, and a much stronger increase in developing countries.
For example, from 2000 to 2022 this rate increased modestly in
Europe from 18.6% to 21.5% and from 19.8% to 22.3% in North
America. Meanwhile, in Asia, it increased from 13.6% to 24.2%
and from 12.5% to 16.6% in the Middle East. However, during
these years this share remained low (around 10%) in Africa.
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FIGURE 3
Share of electricity consumption in total energy
consumption by region
Share of electricity in total 昀椀nal energy consumption - 2022
This shows that economic development goes hand in hand with
an increase in the electricity penetration rate. Therefore, we
can predict that the global increase in electricity consumption
will mainly come from developing countries.
Let’s hope that this electricity will be produced from clean
energy sources. If that is the case, it would be an important
decarbonization factor. If not, it would have a very negative
impact in the fight against climate change.
Below 15
15 to 20
25 to 30
Above 30
Source: www.enerdata.net
20 to 25
WEMO 2024
EU electricity consumption
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