Solar power plants in the EU generated more electricity than hard coal for the first time in 2022

Hard-coal-fired power plants in the EU generated less electricity than solar power plants for the first time in 2022. Poland and the Czech Republic are the last two countries in the EU where hard coal is mined. The European statistical office Eurostat reported this.

According to data published by Eurostat, solar power generation in the EU reached around 210 TWh in 2022, while electricity generation from hard coal was just under 206 TWh. For the first time in history, solar power plants therefore generated more electricity in the EU than hard-coal-fired power plants.

Eurostat added that Poland is the last country that relies heavily on hard coal for electricity generation. As for lignite, 9 EU countries use it to generate electricity. Total electricity generation from this source amounted to just under 242 TWh in 2022.

Hard coal imports rose in 2022

Although the share of electricity generated from hard coal was close to a historic low in 2022, imports of the fuel increased. Import dependence reached a record 74.4%, rising by 15 percentage points year on year. Eurostat attributes this to stockpiling.

"Unlike in previous years, when EU countries generally drew down stocks, hard coal stocks increased by 9 million tonnes in 2022. This was the first increase in stocks since 2019 and the highest figure since 2008," Eurostat said.

The European statistical office added that despite the record-high import dependence for hard coal in 2022, the figure was still significantly lower than for oil and natural gas, for which it exceeds 97%.

Russia remained the EU’s main supplier of hard coal in 2022, with a 24% share, ahead of the United States (18%) and Australia (17%).

"However, after the ban on imports of hard coal from Russia took effect in August 2022 because of its military aggression against Ukraine, imports from Russia fell to 27 million tonnes in 2022. This represents a 45% decrease compared with 2021," Eurostat added.