Natural gas produces record amount of electricity in H1

  • Lusa
  • 4 July 2022

Natural gas plants gained weight, with production corresponding to 31% of electricity consumption, which is the highest value registered to date for the first half of the year.

Natural gas electricity production supplied 31% of Portugal’s consumption until June, the highest value registered to date for the first semester, while the remaining 21% corresponded to the import balance, another record for the period.

According to data from REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais, in the first half of the year, the hydroelectric productivity index (of dams) registered 0.34, below the historical average, which is 1, due to the drought, having supplied only 11% of national consumption, the wind productivity index 0.95 (25% of consumption) and solar productivity index 1.11 (5%).

In this context, natural gas plants gained weight, with production corresponding to 31% of electricity consumption, which is the highest value registered to date for the first half of the year, while the remaining 21% corresponded to the import balance, which is also the highest value ever recorded in the national electricity system, for this period of the year, according to the electricity grid management company.

In the first half of the year, electricity consumption increased by 2.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, or 3.0% with the correction of the impact of temperature and working days. In June, there was a year-on-year increase of 3.6% or 2.9%, with a correction for the effects of temperature and the number of working days.

Also according to REN data, in the natural gas market, consumption in June was down 1.2% year-on-year due to a 22% drop in the conventional segment and a 49% growth in the electricity generation segment.

The supply of natural gas remains almost entirely from the Sines LNG terminal, with the balance of exchanges via the interconnection with Spain recording a practically zero value this month, the company said.