Main information
- Industrial growth has led to a moderate increase in total primary energy consumption in Belgium, 2.0 percent in 2024.
- Renewable energy sources, despite a slight drop in their share in total consumption, have regularly increased, going from 3.0 MTEP (oil equivalent megaton) in 2015 to 4.8 MTEP in 2024, now representing 36 percent of total national primary production.
- The country remains strongly dependent on petroleum products, which represented 48 percent of final energy consumption in 2024.
Belgium experienced a moderate increase in its energy consumption in 2024, mainly due to industrial growth. Total primary energy consumption increased by 2.0 percent compared to 2023, while final consumption increased by 2.6 percent.
The industrial sector, which represents 25 percent of final energy consumption, played a key role in this upward trend. The other important sectors are transport (24 percent) and the residential sector (19 percent).
Growing concern concerning dependence on external energy sources
Despite the efforts made to diversify its energy sources, Belgium still depends strongly on petroleum products, which constitute 48 percent of final energy consumption. The country also remains strongly dependent on imports of crude oil and natural gas: 75.9 percent of energy needs are covered by external sources.
If renewable energy sources have experienced a slight drop in their share in total consumption (14 percent compared to 2023), this drop is mainly attributed to unfavorable weather conditions affecting the production of wind and solar energy, to reducing the use of biofuels in transport and an overall increase in energy consumption. Nevertheless, the long -term trend for renewable energies remains positive.
Renewable energies growth
Primary energy production from renewable sources has regularly increased, from 3.0 MTEP (oil equivalent megaton) in 2015 to 4.8 MTEP in 2024, now representing 36 percent of total national primary production. In particular, the installed capacity for solar and wind energy reached 14.7 gigawatts, exceeding half (52.1 percent) of the country’s total electrical capacity. Wind farms at sea alone provided enough energy to supply approximately 2.1 million households per year.
In addition, energy prices for households experienced a significant drop in 2024: natural gas prices decreased by 20.3 percent and electricity prices decreased by 18 percent compared to the previous year.
