In its latest power statistics Eurelectric forecasts Britain’s electricity consumption will dip by 0.2 per cent by 2020 while for the European Union overall it will rise 0.6 per cent. Eurelectric forecasts power demand in Germany is set to fall 0.6 per cent over the same period.
The association warned that electricity demand was on a “rollecoaster” due largely to the global economic crisis. Overall demand in the EU fell 2.6 per cent to 2011.
EU renewable capacity grew in 2011 to 34 per cent of total installed capacity despite the downturn in demand. Eurelectric attributed the renewable growth to increased subsidies.
Eurelectric forecast that 45 per cent of all power plant in the EU will be renewable by 2020, generating 31 per cent of the bloc’s electricity. Nuclear power would produce another 25 per cent taking the EU’s power production to 56 per cent low-carbon.