Electricity consumption reaches highest ever level in 2025

In 2025, electricity consumption supplied from the public grid reached 53.1 TWh, 3.2% higher than the previous year or 2.3% higher when adjusting for temperature effects and number of working days. This is the highest annual consumption ever in the national electricity system, exceeding the previous historical maximum from 2010 (52.2 TWh) by 1.7%.

In December, consumption grew strongly, up 6.9% compared to the same month of the previous year, or 4.8% when adjusted for temperature and working days.

In 2025, total renewable production amounted to 37 TWh, compared to 36.7 TWh in the previous year, becoming the highest figure ever in the national electricity system and corresponding to 68% of consumption, in line with the 70% recorded in the previous year, even considering the technical restrictions imposed on electricity production to safeguard the security of supply of the SEN in the period immediately after the blackout on 28 April.

Boosting renewable production was the 25% increase in photovoltaic production, which continues to grow at a rapid pace, supported by the strong expansion of this technology in the national electricity system, as well as particularly favourable conditions for hydroelectric production. The hydroelectric productivity index stood at 1.32, while the wind productivity index was 1.00, in line with the average regime, and solar conditions were less favourable, with the respective index standing at 0.89. Hydropower accounted for 27% of national consumption, wind power for 25%, solar power for 11% and biomass for 5%.

Non-renewable production, almost entirely from natural gas, totalled 7.9 TWh, 54% above the previous year, which had recorded a particularly low figure, representing 15% of national consumption. Although natural gas production remains critical and relevant for security of supply, with the exception of this year, its penetration has declined due to the growing availability of renewable energy and imports from Spain. This year, the import balance remained high, totalling 9.3 TWh, although 11% lower than the previous year (10.5 TWh), but it should be noted that they supplied 17% of national consumption (last year imports supplied 20%).

In the natural gas market, consumption in 2025 stood at 45.0 TWh, an increase of 11% over the previous year, but still 8% below the consumption recorded in 2023 (49 TWh). The recovery recorded this year was due to the electricity production segment, which interrupted the downward trend of recent years, registering 13.8 TWh, with strong growth of 93%, but still 15% below the figure recorded in 2023 (16.3 TWh). In the conventional segment, which covers the remaining consumers, consumption was 31.2 TWh, with a year-on-year contraction of 6.4%, the lowest consumption for this segment since 2009.

The national system's supply in 2025 remained almost entirely from the Sines LNG terminal, while through the interconnection with Spain, inflows accounted for only about 3% of consumption. The gas unloaded in Sines originated mainly in Nigeria and the United States, which accounted for 52% and 41% of national supply, respectively.