Coal’s share of electricity generation in the European Union fell to a historic low of 9.2% in 2025. Eurostat published these figures on August 13, 2026.
In the EU in 2025, bituminous coal accounted for 3.7% of gross electricity generation, or 105,600 GWh, while brown coal and lignite accounted for another 5.5%, or 154,200 GWh. Combined, their share totaled 9.2%.
A year earlier, coal’s share had fallen below 10% for the first time in recorded history. By comparison, in 1990, coal accounted for more than one-third of the EU’s total electricity, and in 2000, it accounted for 30.4%.
Coal’s position among the main power generation technologies has also changed. In 1990, hard coal and lignite ranked second and third, respectively, in the EU’s electricity mix. By 2025, they had fallen to seventh and sixth place. They were surpassed by nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, wind, and solar generation. Solar power surpassed coal in relevant metrics as early as 2024.
The decline in coal’s role in the EU is accompanied by a reduction in both its production and consumption.
In 2025, hard coal consumption in the European Union is estimated at approximately 107 million metric tons, and lignite consumption at 184 million metric tons. Both figures represent all-time lows.
Some countries have already completely phased out certain types of coal-fired power generation. Portugal stopped using hard coal for electricity generation in 2021, and Slovakia ended lignite mining in 2024. Currently, only eight EU countries continue to produce lignite.
Poland remains an exception within the European Union: it is the only EU country where coal is still the largest source of electricity, accounting for more than half of total generation when hard coal and lignite are combined.
Source: Eurostat, the article “Record low coal share in EU electricity production,” published on August 13, 2026, and the updated statistical article “Coal production and consumption statistics.”
Coal share, EU electricity sector
