From one energy crisis to the next: How the EU cut gas demand by a fifth

The EU successfully reduced its gas demand by around 20% between 2021 and 2024, despite ongoing energy crises. This drop was driven by household behavior, with Germany and Italy leading the way, accounting for nearly 35% of the total reduction. France, the Netherlands, and Spain followed, contributing roughly 72% of the overall reduction. Poland saw the largest increase in gas use, likely due to a shift from coal to gas.

Household gas consumption dropped significantly in Germany, Italy, and France, while industrial gas use fell sharply in Germany and Italy. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, have gained ground in power generation, with their share of EU electricity consumption increasing from 45.4% in 2023 to 47.5% in 2024. Germany led the installation of solar photovoltaics (146GW) and wind capacity (42GW) between 2022 and 2024.

Spain and the Netherlands reduced gas-fired generation in the power sector by 27% and 22% respectively, largely due to increased solar and wind generation.

In countries like Sweden, Finland, Portugal, and Bulgaria, the impact of renewables on gas generation was minimal due to structural factors. Heat pumps played a significant role in cutting household gas use for heating, particularly in countries with large renewable fleets. However, the phase-out of gas for power generation has not been completed in all EU countries, as seen in Germany, where the transition largely replaced lost nuclear output and coal, rather than displacing gas entirely.