2. GENERAL ENERGY POLICY
Energy consumption
In the five years following the restauration of the country’s independence in 1991, Estonia’s TFC dropped by 52%. Since then, energy consumption has been quite stable at around 3.0 Mtoe per year, with only small annual variations (Figure 2.5). In 2017, Estonia’s TFC was 2.9 Mtoe. The residential sector has been the largest consumer of energy since 2009, and accounted for 32% of TFC in 2017. The transport sector has a 27% share of TFC, followed by the commercial sector (21%) and the industry sector (20%). Consumption in the industry sector has been falling since 1990, with a 42% drop in the last decade. Meanwhile in the commercial sector, energy demand increased by 26% in the last ten years. This reflects a shift in Estonia’s economy from manufacturing to more service-based companies. Consumption in the transport and residential sectors has remained quite stable over the last decade.
Figure 2.5 TFC by sector, 2000-17
3.5 |
Mtoe |
|
Industry* |
||
3.0 |
||
Commercial** |
||
2.5 |
||
Transport |
||
|
||
2.0 |
Residential |
|
1.5 |
|
1.0
0.5
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
IEA 2019. All rights reserved.
Total energy consumption has been stable in recent years, with the residential sector continuing to be the largest energy consumer at around a third of TFC.
*Industry includes non-energy consumption.
**Commercial includes commercial and public services, agriculture and forestry. Note: Mtoe = million tonnes of oil-equivalent.
Source: IEA (2019), World Energy Balances 2019, www.iea.org/statistics.
Oil is the largest energy source in Estonia’s energy consumption, accounting for 36% of TFC in 2017 (Figure 2.6). Most oil is consumed in the transport sector. Electricity is the second-largest source at 21% of TFC, followed by district heat (16%), and bioenergy and waste (15%). Electricity accounts for a considerable share in the commercial sector, whereas bioenergy and district heat have high shares in the residential sector. The industry sector consumes a mix of electricity, oil, natural gas, oil shale and heat.
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ENERGY INSIGHTS