Renewable energy production sets new records

Renewable energy production in Portugal set new records: 149 consecutive hours during which energy from renewable sources exceeded the industrial and household consumption needs across the country.

Between 4:00 AM on October 31st and 9:00 AM on November 6th, for over 6 consecutive days, 1102 GWh were generated, surpassing the national consumption for the same period (840 GWh) by 262 GWh. The previous record dated back to 2019 and was 131 hours.

During this 149-hour period, two more milestones were achieved. The first, between 10:00 PM on October 31st and 9:00 AM on November 6th, saw renewable energy production exceeding the entire National Electric System's needs (including the requirements for pumping in hydroelectric reservoirs) without resorting to conventional thermal power generation, particularly Natural Gas Combined Cycle Plants, for 131 consecutive hours, nearly tripling the previous record from 2021, which stood at 56 hours.

The second milestone occurred between 10:00 AM on November 1st and 9:00 AM on November 5th, lasting for 95 consecutive hours during which renewable production exceeded consumption without the need for Natural Gas Combined Cycle Plants, and Portugal was able to export electricity to Spain, surpassing the previous record of 52 hours set in 2018.

These significant achievements confirm that Portugal has been maintaining a sustainable trajectory in progressively integrating indigenous renewable sources, while upholding the primary objectives of supply security and service quality.