Renewable production supplied 43% of the domestic consumption of electricity

Renewable production fuelled 43% of domestic consumption of electricity in September, non-renewable production accounted for 42%, while the remaining 15% were supplied with imported energy.   

In the year to date, the annual hydropower capability index stood at 0.62 (historical average of 1), reflecting the dry conditions that have been observed, while the wind-power capability index recorded 0.99, practically in line with the average regime. In the same period, production was divided between renewable sources with 45%, non-renewable sources with 44% and imports with the remaining 11%. In renewable sources, wind power supplied 24% of consumption, hydropower 14%, biomass 5% and photovoltaics 2.3%. Among non-renewable sources, natural gas supplied 32% and coal 12%. This year, coal production has been in decline, particularly in August, when coal-fired power plants had their lowest ever use in the Portuguese national system.

Also in September, electricity consumption dropped 3.1%, a value that is slightly reduced to 2.9% when correcting for the effects of temperature and working days. At the end of the third quarter, accumulated annual consumption recorded a negative year-on-year evolution of 2.1%, or -1% when correcting for temperature and working days.

In September, the natural gas market also showed a slight drop, with a year-on-year decrease of 1.6%, as a result of a 3.1% growth in the power production segment, insufficient to compensate for the 5.1% drop in the conventional segment. 

At the end of September, natural gas consumption recorded a year-on-year change of 2.6%, with an increase of 8.2% in the electricity market and a slight reduction of 0.1% in the conventional market.