Europe's electricity to top 80% zero-carbon by 2030, but will miss its renewables target (Wood Mackenzie)

Europe's electricity system will draw more than 80% of its generation from zero-carbon sources by 2030, yet the EU will still fall short of its own renewables goal for that year. That is the central finding of Wood Mackenzie's Europe Power Markets Strategic Planning Outlook 2026, published on 29 September 2026 and covering 35 national markets through 2060.

Zero-carbon generation is projected to reach 93% of the mix by 2050, with power demand expanding by 66% over the same period. In the EU27, renewables are projected to supply 63.7% of power in 2030, below both the 65% set under Fit-for-55 and the 69% goal of REPowerEU. Across all 35 markets, the renewables share reaches 65% in 2030 and 83% in 2050.

Total consumption reaches 4,103 TWh in 2030, 11% above 2025, and climbs to 6,152 TWh in…