EU unveils plan to increase renewables share in energy mix to 40% by 2030

The European Union must increase the amount of renewable energy it uses and cut energy consumption by 2030 under proposals the bloc's executive Commission published on Wednesday to help meet a more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.

The European Union must increase the amount of renewable energy it uses and cut energy consumption by 2030 under proposals the bloc's executive Commission published on Wednesday to help meet a more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal. As part of a package of climate policies, the Commission proposed an overhaul of EU renewable energy rules, which decide how quickly the bloc must increase the use of sources, such as wind, solar and biomass energy produced from burning wood pellets or chips.

The aim is to implement legally-binding targets to reduce net EU emissions by 55% by 2030, from 1990 levels, and eliminate them by 2050. To help meet the 2050 goal, the Commission has set a more ambitious interim target for the EU to raise the share of renewable energy to 40% of final consumption by 2030, up from roughly 20% in 2019.

That replaces a previous target for a 32% renewables target by 2030, which Commission estimates suggest the bloc was on track to meet.