Europe using less coal despite crisis

Europe used less coal during the winter than analysts had feared, according to energy think tank Ember.

With the continent grappling with rapidly rising oil and natural gas prices because of supply issues attributed to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, experts had expected coal consumption to rise sharply during the winter.

But Ember, a United Kingdom-based environmental non-profit think tank that campaigns for reduced coal consumption, said Europe used less coal during the past winter than it did in previous years.

Relatively mild weather was the main reason, with people needing to use electric-powered heating less.

Ember said the fact that polluting coal was not needed in large quantities to produce Europe's electricity meant less damaging carbon was emitted into the atmosphere than had been expected.

Additionally, the continent generated more of the electricity it used than ever — some 40 percent — through renewable sources, which include wind, solar, and hydro power.

"With fossil fuel generation down, EU power-sector emissions during winter were the lowest they have ever been," the organization added in its report.

With the winter now over, Ember said decision-makers must focus on expanding the use of clean alternatives to the polluting fossil fuels it used to import in large quantities from Russia and Ukraine, which damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.

"With Europe successfully on the other side of this winter and major supply disruptions avoided, it is clear the threatened coal comeback did not materialize," the report added.

Ember said coal power-generation fell 27 terawatt hours, or almost 11 percent, year-on-year between October 2022 and March 2023.

During the same period, power produced by natural gas also fell, by 38 terawatt hours. The think tank said Europe's total electricity consumption during the period fell by 94 terawatt hours, or 7 percent.

While the weather was a major factor, Ember said many people were also eager to use less electricity because of its fast-rising price.

The Financial Times newspaper quoted Harriet Fox, an analyst at Ember, as saying the mild winter weather contributed massively to the reduced consumption of coal last winter but that the continent must expand its use of renewables during the coming months if it wants to ensure coal does not make a big comeback next winter, if it turns out to be a cold one.

"We can't rely on next winter playing out in exactly the same way and Europe needs to take action now, including continuing to push energy efficiency measures and accelerating the rollout of renewables," she said.

But Fox said Ember believes people will look back at the past winter and conclude it was "the time that renewables really started to fly".