Portugal 4th in EU with amount of renewable energy in total electricity generated in January

Portugal was the fourth country in Europe with the highest incorporation of renewable energy in electricity generation in January, with 59.7%, behind Norway, Denmark and Austria, according to data from renewable energy association, APREN, released on Monday.

According to APREN’s Renewable Electricity Bulletin, in mainland Portugal, 4,085 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity were generated in January, of which 59.7% was of renewable origin.

“Between January 1 and 31, 2022, Portugal was the fourth country with the highest renewable incorporation in electricity generation, behind Norway, Denmark and Austria, which obtained 99.5%, 76.2% and 66.5%, respectively, from RES [renewable energy sources],” the association pointed out.

In the month under review, the average hourly price recorded in the Iberian Electricity Market (MIBEL) in Portugal was 201.89 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh), which “represents a more than three-fold increase compared to the same period last year”.

“In the same period 12 non-consecutive hours were recorded in which renewable generation was sufficient to supply mainland Portugal’s electricity consumption, with an average hourly price in MIBEL of 177.68 euro/MWh”.

In the first month of the year, the electro-production sector emitted a total of 0.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq), with the renewable electricity sector avoiding the emission of 0.7 MtCO2eq.

The European Trade in CO2 Emission Licences (CELE) recorded an average price of 84.3 euros per tonne of CO2, representing an increase of more than double compared to January 2021.

According to APREN’s analysis of data from REN, the country’s electricity network operator, in the month under analysis, mainland Portugal’s electricity system recorded electricity imports equivalent to 982 GWh and exports of 211 GWh, resulting in an import balance of 771 GWh.