Europe power supply: 2019 in review

Coal to gas switching was a defining feature of the power supply mix in Europe's five largest markets in 2019. Low gas prices, higher carbon costs and pressure from climate policy combined to see power generation from coal fall by 36% on the previous year. Gas-fired power supply was up 12%. With continued growth in renewable capacity, more power was produced from wind than coal for the first time. Wind and solar output increased by 13% and 10% respectively, and when combined accounted for over a fifth of total supply. Using data from our Power Data Pack, these slides review the development of power supply in Europe's largest electricity markets - Germany, France, Italy, Iberia (Spain & Portugal) and the UK - comparing volumes and flows from 2018 & 2019.