According to monthly electricity data released by Ember for January, emissions generated by fossil fuels across the EU reached 54,03 mt CO2. This is the lowest level for this time of the year since records began, dropping 11% compared to the same period in the year before.

The amount of electricity from fossil fuels in the EU reached 77,29 TWh, plummeting just 6% compared to the first month of 2023. However, it almost halved since 2017 when fossil fuels generated 134,18 TWh.

The coal’s share in the power mix continued to drop, reaching just 11,34% in 2024 from 15,16% in the previous year. However, gas made up 17,37% of the total power generation in the EU, increasing from 16,25% in January 2023, amid a colder start to the year and declining gas prices.

Nuclear plants continue to remain the main source of electricity, amounting to 61.21 TWh, around 25% of the power produced in the EU January. Wind followed closely with a 22,5% share, overtaking gas by a large margin.

Regarding the EU’s worst polluters, Germany continues to lead, generating 16,8 mt CO2, representing 31% of the total emissions generated by fossil fuels in the power sector. This is more than the combined emissions produced by Poland (9,97 mt CO2) and Italy (6,19 mT CO2), the next largest emitters.