The latest report published on Wednesday by the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) attests that electricity from renewables reached a record level last year, surpassing fossil fuels and therefore “driving the EU’s clean energy transition.”

In 2023, total fossil fuel generation in the EU reached just 788 TWh while renewables rose to a record 1200 TWh and a record share of 45% in the power mix. Another notable change is the fact that “wind-powered electricity for the first-time surpassed gas and coal generation.”

Nuclear plants remained Europe’s main power source with 613 TWh, despite French nuclear output not being “back to historical levels.” Wind power electricity stood at 469 TWh, becoming the EU’s second-largest source of energy putting hydro (448 TWh) in third place. Gas (361 TWh) and coal (317 TWh) occupied the fourth and fifth positions by a large margin.

The use of coal-fired plants compared to the maximum capacity reached 45% during the energy crisis, amid higher gas prices. Still, last year, the utilization of coal-fired plants stood at just 34% in 2023, declining by 11%  in comparison to 2022, while the capacity factor for the gas-fired plants reached  22%, dropping 5%. At the same time “solar capacity grew by 20%, nearly doubling since 2019, while wind increased by 8%. 

According to the report, France became the largest energy exporter amid higher nuclear and hydro generation and Italy remained the biggest net importer. Also, Romania was among the four EU states that shifted from being a net importer to becoming an exporter while Germany turned the other way around due to its nuclear phase out.