
Austria is on track to meet its target of generating 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040, the Ministry of Energy announced on Monday.
According to the ministry’s annual “Energy in Austria – Statistics, Data, Facts” report, renewable energy already accounted for 87.6% of the country’s domestic electricity production in 2023.
This achievement was driven by a record increase in electricity generation from solar power systems.
However, when considering overall energy consumption, more than half of Austria’s energy still comes from oil and natural gas, which make up 35.7% and 18.5% of the total energy mix, respectively.
The ministry also highlighted a significant shift in 2023, with 14.5% less natural gas used to meet energy needs compared to the previous year.
In terms of other energy sources, hydropower supplied 11% of Austria’s energy consumption. Wind power contributed 2.2%, solar power 1.6%, ambient heat 2.4%, and energy from combustible waste 2.1%. Collectively, these renewable sources provided about the same amount of energy as coal, which accounted for 7.7%.
Wind energy has seen significant growth since 2005, with its share of domestic electricity production rising from around 2% that year to 11.4% today. In 2023 alone, wind power generation increased by 10.9% compared to 2022, the ministry reported.
In another notable development, Austria exported more electricity than it imported in 2023 for the first time in over 20 years.