In response to the turbulence in the global energy market caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in May 2022 the European Commission adopted the REPowerEU plan. It reaffirmed the EU’s determination to break away from Russian energy, while accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and improving energy savings and energy efficiency.
Measures taken so far have reduced Russian gas imports from 150 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to 52 bcm in 2024, with the share of Russian gas imports falling from 45% to 19%.
All imports of Russian coal are banned by sanctions. Oil imports have fallen from 27% at the beginning of 2022 to 3% in 2024. In the field of nuclear energy, EU countries operating Russian-designed VVER reactors have made progress in replacing Russian nuclear fuel with fuel from other producers.
However, despite these efforts, in 2024 the EU still imports 52 billion cubic metres of Russian gas, as well as 13 million tonnes of crude oil and over 2,800 tonnes of uranium in the form of enriched gas or fuel. In 2024, 10 EU countries imported Russian gas, 3 countries still imported Russian oil, and 7 countries imported enriched uranium or uranium services from Russia.
Energy savings
One of the main objectives of the REPowerEU plan is to save energy and increase energy efficiency. This is because the safest, cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy we do not use.
The EU has therefore taken decisive action to reduce overall gas consumption in order to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian imports.
Reduced gas consumption
In response to the energy crisis caused by Russia’s war, the EU adopted the Gas Reduction Regulation as an emergency measure in 2022. It sets a voluntary target to reduce gas consumption by 15% compared to the average between 2017 and 2021.
Gas consumption in the EU continues to decline even after the expiry of the Regulation in March 2024. This voluntary reduction in consumption contributed to the gradual phasing out of Russian gas in line with the REPowerEU objectives.
Between August 2022 and January 2025, the EU successfully reduced gas consumption by 17 %, equivalent to 70 billion cubic metres of gas per year.
Energy efficiency
The revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive agreed by the co-legislators in September 2023 increased the ambition for EU countries to collectively ensure an additional mandatory reduction in final energy consumption of 11.7% by 2030 compared to the EU’s 2020 reference scenario projections.
Action on energy consumption in buildings is particularly important, as direct and indirect use of natural gas in buildings (both residential and tertiary) accounts for 52 % of total EU natural gas consumption in 2023. In 2024, co-legislators also agreed on a revised Directive on the energy performance of buildings to boost the renovation and energy performance of buildings by 2030.
In 2023, final energy consumption fell to 894 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), representing a decrease of -5.6 % compared to 2021. Although this significant reduction was achieved during a period of exceptionally high energy prices, it shows progress in the right direction towards achieving the EU’s energy efficiency targets.
Despite the significant progress made, further efforts will be needed to achieve the EU’s 2030 energy efficiency target, including the swift and full transposition of the updated legislative framework in EU countries. To this end, the Commission is working on recommendations to support the integration of the revised Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive into the national frameworks of EU countries.
Energy security
Following the suspension of gas injections into European gas storage facilities by Russian companies and record low gas storage levels in November 2021, the EU set storage targets to ensure 90% full storage ahead of each winter.
This target was achieved months ahead of schedule in 2023 and 2024. In particular, in 2024, the EU achieved its 90% gas storage target set in the Gas Storage Regulation on 19 August, more than two months ahead of the deadline. In the winter of 2024-2025, in the context of more expensive imports, withdrawals from storage returned to pre-crisis levels, which are significantly higher than in the previous two years. As a result, on 1 April 2025, EU storage levels stood at 34 %, marking the end of the winter season and the gas year.
It is important to note that current storage levels remain in line with the average recorded between 2016 and 2021, which puts the EU in a position to achieve adequate storage levels before next winter.
Measures targeting consumption and storage have contributed to stabilising energy prices, which is beneficial for the competitiveness of the EU economy.
Diversification of energy supplies
Following the adoption of the REPowerEU plan, the EU has drastically reduced its imports of Russian fossil fuels and successfully diversified its energy supply.
Imports of fossil fuels
EU sanctions banned imports by sea of Russian crude oil and refined petroleum products, as well as Russian coal. As a result, Russian crude oil now accounts for only 3% of EU crude oil imports, compared to 27% of EU imports in 2022.
Imports of Russian gas (pipeline and LNG) have fallen from a 45% share of total EU imports in 2021 to 19% in 2024. Although LNG imports from Russia increased by 2 billion cubic metres between 2023 and 2024, the end of Russian gas transit through Ukraine reduced pipeline gas imports from Russia by 15 billion cubic metres per year. Projections indicate a further decline to 13% in 2025. Good preparation by the EU and EU countries has allowed transit to end and Russian gas imports to be phased out gradually without significant impact on energy and natural gas price security.
EU Energy Platform and AggregateEU
In December 2022, the Commission established the EU Energy Platform with the aim of:
- facilitating the pooling of demand and joint gas purchasing
- ensuring the most efficient use of existing infrastructure
- support international efforts to promote
In April 2023, the EC launched the AggregateEU demand aggregation and joint purchasing mechanism. Over seven coordinated rounds organised so far, the platform has aggregated over 119 billion cubic metres of gas demand from European companies and 191 billion cubic metres have been offered by international suppliers. After seeking the most competitive offers, AggregateEU reached nearly 100 billion cubic metres to cover European demand.
The mandate of AggregateEU as a crisis tool under the Solidarity Regulation expired in March 2025. In line with the hydrogen and decarbonised gas market package, the EC is currently working on a permanent voluntary instrument for demand aggregation and joint procurement of gases, including biomethane, as well as separate mechanisms for demand aggregation for other commodities such as hydrogen and its derivatives and strategic raw materials.
Energy infrastructure development
EU countries have taken significant action to improve energy infrastructure by finalising or upgrading cross-border interconnections and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals that allow gas to be transported where it is needed.
To accompany the increase in LNG supplies to Europe, EU countries have made major infrastructure investments: a record number of new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminal projects have been brought into operation over the last three years. As of May 2024, they have increased the EU’s LNG import capacity to 50 billion cubic metres per year. This capacity is expected to reach 70 billion cubic metres by the end of 2024.
In addition to the ongoing completion of projects of common interest (PCIs) and projects of mutual interest (PMIs) under the revised TEN-E Regulation, in November 2023 the Commission adopted the first Union list of PCIs and PMIs to help build an infrastructure network across Europe that is fit for a decarbonised future. The list features, among others
- 85 electricity projects, including 5 smart grid projects and 12 offshore infrastructure projects
- 65 hydrogen and electrolysis projects
- 14 CO2 network projects
- 10 IMPs, including electricity interconnections with the United Kingdom, the Western Balkans and North African countries
Clean energy production
REPowerEU puts the accelerated production of clean energy at the heart of efforts to increase the EU’s energy security and ensure the decarbonisation of our economy.
The EU has increased its renewable energy production beyond expectations. In 2024, solar energy will account for a larger share of EU electricity production than coal for the first time.
Installed wind and solar capacity increased by 58% cumulatively between 2021 and 2024, saving approximately 38 billion cubic metres of gas over a three-year period.
With nearly 66 GW of new solar capacity installed in 2024 (according to SolarPower Europe), the EU has set another record, building on the 63 GW installed in 2023. While these figures are impressive, further acceleration is still needed to achieve the REPowerEU targets within the EU’s Solar Energy Strategy and reach at least 700 GW by 2030. By the end of 2024, installed solar capacity amounted to 338 GW.
As regards wind energy, 13 GW of new capacity was installed in the EU in 2024, bringing the total to 231 GW, compared to 188 GW in 2021 (according to Wind Europe estimates). Although this shows good progress, the wind energy sector needs further stimulation to achieve the EU’s ambitious renewable energy targets. To this end, in October 2023, the EC adopted a wind energy package.
The heat pump market saw exceptional growth in 2022, with sales of all space heating heat pumps (hydronic and air-to-air) reaching 2.75 million. In 2023, the market contracted slightly to around 2.5 million units sold, and in 2024 there was a further decline to 2.2 million units.
The market slowdown reflects a combination of high electricity-to-gas price ratios, a very long and complex customer journey (due to a lack of installers, long waiting periods and high installation costs), limited and unstable financing and business models, and delays in the construction sector. This could jeopardise the achievement of the 2030 climate target.
To achieve the number of heat pumps needed for the 2030 climate target, the EU needs to more than double the annual rate of deployment, installing nearly 6 million new heat pumps (hydronic and air-to-air) from 2025 onwards.
In January 2025, the Heat Pump Accelerator platform was launched, an initiative supported by the European Commission. It is part of a broader action to support heat pumps, which aims to monitor the policy framework at national level, collect additional data, monitor training programmes and contribute to priorities in research, innovation and demonstration activities.
Examples of national measures to promote the uptake of heat pumps
- Reduced VAT rates on heat pumps: VAT on heat pumps lower than VAT on gas boilers (Belgium, France, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic)
- Reduced tax rate on electricity supplied for heating solutions from renewable sources reduces the cost of heating with heat pumps (Finland)
More about the results achieved under REPowerEU can be found here
