Malta registered the highest increase in final energy consumption in the EU in 2019, according to data released by Eurostat.

Seventeen member states registered an increase and 10 posted a drop.

Malta registered a six per cent increase in its final energy consumption, followed by Austria, Cyprus, Greece and Portugal, which all registered a two per cent rise.

The largest drops were recorded in Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark – all registering a two per cent decrease.

The rating was compiled by comparing how many million tons of oil (mtoe) a country consumed in 2018 and 2019.

Primary energy consumption increased in eight EU states

Malta used 0.87 million tons of oil in 2019, up from 0.82 million tons in the previous year.

Primary energy consumption increased in eight EU member states and decreased in 19 others.

Malta posted the second highest increase, at six per cent. The list was topped by Greece, at seven per cent, with Belgium ranking second, at five per cent.

Primary energy consumption measures the total domestic demand while final energy consumption calculates what citizens actually end up consuming.

The difference relates mainly to what the energy sector needs itself and to transformation and distribution losses.

Through the energy efficiency directive, passed in 2012, the EU committed itself to a 20 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2020, setting itself the target of reaching 1,312 mtoe in primary energy consumption and 959 mtoe in final energy consumption by that target date.

In 2019, the 27 member states utilised 1,352 mtoe in primary energy consumption and 984 mtoe in final energy consumption – three per cent and 2.6 per cent above the efficiency target for 2020, respectively.

Compared to 2018, primary energy consumption decreased by two per cent and the final energy consumption by one per cent at EU level.