EU saved over €50 billion in 2025 by lowering fossil fuel imports

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 30, 2026 · 674 words · By Rebecca Ann Hughes

Energy security Economic Benefit of Renewables Geopolitical Instability

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about Energy security

Investing in renewables has also ensured greater energy security at a moment when the war on Iran is destabilising supplies and forcing up costs.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Investing in renewables has also ensured greater energy security at a moment when the war on Iran is destabilising supplies and forcing up costs.

Why it matters

Europe made huge energy cost savings in 2025 thanks to reducing its dependence on polluting fossil fuels by driving investment in renewables.

Common ground

Using wind and solar to generate power meant significantly less reliance on imported oil and gas, according to energy think tank Ember.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Energy security story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Europe made huge energy cost savings in 2025 thanks to reducing its dependence on polluting fossil fuels by driving investment in renewables?
How does this story connect Energy security with Economic Benefit of Renewables over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/30/clean-energy-saved-eu-51-billion-in-2025-by-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

schedule Pending 1

verified

Claim 1: “Europe made huge energy cost savings in 2025 thanks to reducing its dependence on polluting fossil fuels by driving investment in renewables.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While there is general information about renewable energy and specific savings in Portugal, there is no evidence provided that confirms a general 'huge energy cost saving' for all of Europe in 2025 specifically linked to renewable investment.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 TCR Eastern Europe Trophy was the seventh season of the TCR Eastern Europe Trophy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_TCR_Eastern_Europe_Trophy

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of events that have taken or will take place in Europe in 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_Europe

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, or DiEM25, is a left-wing European political alliance. It operates as a pan-European umbrella for subsidiary parties sharing the same name and branding (e.g. MeR…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Europe_Movement_2…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 2: “Globally, output is estimated to have grown 13 per cent year-on-year, with gains across major markets including China (+14 per cent), the EU (+13 per cent), the UK (+35 per cent), the US (+8 per cent), Australia (+17 per cent), Chile (+24 per cent) and Brazil (+4 per cent).”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

check_circle

Claim 3: “In 2025, the EU imported €336.7 billion worth of energy products, amounting to 723.3 million tonnes.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results explicitly state that EU energy imports in 2025 reached €336.7 billion and 723.3 million tonnes, citing Eurostat data.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — .eu is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union (EU). Launched on 7 December 2005, the domain is available for any person, company or organization based in the European Union. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.eu

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — EU is the European Union, a political and economic union of 27 member states primarily located in Europe. Eu or eu may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_(disambiguation)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an es…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 4: “Solar output rose by more than 60 TWh year-on-year, equivalent to Portugal's entire annual electricity demand.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (including Eurelectric) confirm that solar output rose by more than 60 TWh year-on-year, equivalent to Portugal's annual electricity demand.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Solar output increased by 60 TWh year-on-year, an amount roughly equivalent to Portugal’s annual electricity demand. This increase compensated for a 13 per cent drop in hydroelectric generation and a …
https://africaenergynews.co.ke/news/solar-emerges-as-europes…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Solar generation increased by more than 60 TWh year-on-year, a volume roughly equivalent to Portugal’s entire annual electricity consumption.
https://serbia-energy.eu/eu-solar-surges-in-2025-record-grow…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Solar output rose by more than 60 TWh year on year – equivalent to Portugal’s entire annual electricity demand. This surge helped offset declines in hydro (-13%) and wind (-4%) between 2024 and 2025.
https://www.eurelectric.org/news/electricity-2025-solar-grow…

schedule

Claim 5: “Ember notes, however, that so far, wind and solar have overtaken gas only for a single month and not on an annual basis.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 6: “Instead, the EU invested $105 billion (€90 billion) in renewables.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence mentions a €90.14 million investment in the DRC, not a $105 billion (€90 billion) investment in renewables by the EU in 2025.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union (EU) is a supranational union of 27 member states that are party to the EU's founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They have agreed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_state_of_the_European_U…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 7: “Wind and solar generated more electricity than gas globally for the first month ever in April 2026, according to data analysed by Ember.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including a cross-reference and several web results, confirm that wind and solar exceeded gas generation globally in April 2026 according to Ember.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At 531 TWh, electricity generated from wind and solar reached a new global record in April 2026, according to energy think tank Ember.A recent analysis shows that April 2026 marked the first time glob…
https://prometheus.org/2026/05/22/solar-and-wind-generated-m…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Wind and solar power generated more electricity than gas worldwide for the first time in April 2026, according to an analysis published May 21 by British energy think tank Ember.
https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/2205-55850-wind-a…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Global electricity markets reached a notable inflection point in April 2026, as generation from wind and solar exceeded gas-fired power for the first time, according to new data from Ember.
https://energydigital.com/news/wind-and-solar-generation-sur…

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 8: “The EU saved $60 billion (€51.4 billion) in 2025 by lowering fossil fuel imports, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence in the provided search results mentions a $60 billion (€51.4 billion) saving attributed to an IEA report for 2025.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American businessman and government official serving as the 17th United States secretary of energy since February 2025. Before leading the U.S. D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Wright

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Coal in Europe is a term describing the use of coal as an energy source in Europe, including both thermal coal used for power generation and coking coal used for steel production. Coal power generatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_in_Europe

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle propelled mostly by electric power. EVs encompass road (cars, buses, trucks and personal transporters), rail (trains, trams and monorails), boats and submersible…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 9: “With a total generation of more than 340 TWh, it [Solar power] reached 12.5 per cent of the EU generation mix, says Strategic Perspectives.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly attributes the 340 TWh and 12.5% generation mix to Strategic Perspectives, but no other independent source confirms these specific figures.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 21, 2026 ... Fossil fuel dependence is costing Europe dearly. It's a drag on energy security, industrial competitiveness, and climate action. The silver ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYmXQ8vosLy/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ... power generated from solar energy. According to Eurostat data [51], in 2005 ... energy sources across the EU, namely wind and solar energy. In 2023 ...
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/6/1333

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 ... Strategic Perspectives said it generated more than 340 terawatt-hours of electricity and accounted for 12.5% of the EU's power mix. Solar ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZSVz1PlfOk/

verified

Claim 10: “Compared with 2024, imports decreased both in value (-11.1 per cent) and in net mass (-0.6 per cent ), according to the think tank Strategic Perspectives.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the value decrease of 11.1% is mentioned in one source for 2025, the specific attribution to 'Strategic Perspectives' and the 0.6% net mass decrease are not corroborated by the provided evidence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Armenia has initiated the process of joining the European Union as a member state. On 12 March 2024, the European Parliament passed a resolution noting that Armenia could apply for membership if it me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Armenia_to_the_Eu…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are currently nine states recognised as candidates for membership of the European Union: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukrai…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_enlargement_of_the_E…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 11: “Together, wind and solar generated 22 per cent of global electricity in April 2026, compared with 20 per cent from gas.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific percentages (22% for wind/solar and 20% for gas) are reported in one cross-reference source (Sustainabilitymag) but not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — Combined, wind and solar energy sources generated 22% of global electricity compared to 20% from gas
https://sustainabilitymag.com/news/wind-and-solar-generation…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.