Thanks to robust economic growth, Germany’s total primary energy consumption is expected to have increased in 2017, with oil and natural gas share rising and nuclear and coal share dropping off, according to German research group AG Energiebilanzen (AGEB).
Oil and natural gas will have boosted their combined share to 58.3 % of the energy mix of Europe’s biggest economy in 2017, AGEB’s preliminary data showed.
Mineral oil maintains its top position as the single largest primary energy source in Germany, with a share of 34.6 %, up from 33.9 % last year.
In petroleum use, consumption of gasoline and diesel increased by 2 % compared to 2016 and naphtha consumption in the chemical industry increased 7 %.
Natural gas consumption increased by 5.2 %, and natural gas share in the energy mix is 23.7 % this year, up from 22.7 % last year.
On the other hand, Germany’s use of hard coal dropped 10.4 %, and nuclear power consumption is down 10.3 % this year.
In the primary energy mix, now hard coal accounts for 11 % and nuclear represents 6.1 % .
Germany ordered the immediate shutdown 8 of its 17 reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, and plans to completely phase out nuclear power plants by 2022.
The use of renewable energy has increased the most in percentage terms this year, by 6.1 %.