Electricity consumption falls in April with higher-than-normal temperatures

Electricity consumption fell 5.6% year-on-year in April, as a result of the recorded temperatures, which were well above the normal values for this time of year. Correcting for the effects of temperature and number of working days, there is a negative variation of 2.8%. In a year-on-year basis, the variation is slightly positive at 0.3%, and is the same when accounting for temperature and working days.

In April, weather conditions remained negative for renewable energies, apart from photovoltaics. The wind capability index was 0.80 (historical average of 1), while the hydropower capability index stood at 0.34, the second lowest for the month of April, only beaten by that recorded in 1993 (REN data since 1971). The wind capability index stood at 1.30, the highest ever for the month of April (REN data since 2010). Renewable generation supplied 49% of consumption, while non-renewables supplied 15%. The remaining 36% consisted of imported energy.

In the first four months of the year, the hydropower capability index was 0.83, the wind power capability index was 0.90, and the solar capability index was 1.19. During this period, renewable generation supplied 67% of consumption, split between hydroelectric with 29%, wind with 26%, and biomass and photovoltaics, both with 6%. Generation from natural gas supplied 18% of consumption, while the import balance supplied the remaining 15%.

The natural gas market fell 25% in April. This variation was more pronounced in the electricity generation segment (with a year-on-year fall of 52%), while in the conventional segment the decrease was 9.3%. At the end of April, the accumulated annual consumption of gas recorded a year-on-year negative variation of 21%, split between a decrease of 5.4% in the conventional segment and of 42% in the electricity generation segment.

The Portuguese national system was almost entirely supplied from the Sines LNG terminal. In addition to supplying the Portuguese national system, around 1 TWh of natural gas was exported to Spain through the gas pipeline, the highest number ever in a month.