Renewables supply 75% of electricity consumption in the first eight months of the year

Between January and August, 75% of the electricity consumed in Portugal came from renewable sources, with hydropower accounting for 33% of the energy, wind power for 26%, solar for 10%, and biomass for 6%. Natural gas production supplied 8% of consumption, while the remaining 17% corresponded to imported energy.

In August, renewable production supplied 55% of consumption, non-renewable production 10%, while the remaining 35% corresponded to imported energy. Noteworthy is the growth in solar power, which accounted for 15% of national consumption in the month, with daily peaks above 2600 MW. Solar and wind energy production were close to the historical average (1), with respective indices of 1.02 and 1.00, while hydropower values were relatively more favorable.

From January to August, the hydroelectric productivity index registered 1.33, wind power 1.04, and solar 0.96 (historical average of 1).

In August, electricity consumption grew by 0.1% compared to the same month last year, a figure that rises to 0.3% when adjusted for temperature and the number of working days. Between January and August, consumption registered a positive evolution of 1.7%, or 2.2% when adjusted for temperature and working days.

In the natural gas market, consumption remained heavily constrained by the low use of thermoelectric plants, as a result of both the availability of renewable energy in Portugal and imports from Spain. In August, the gas market contracted by 29% compared to the same month last year, with decreases of 69% in the electricity production segment and 1.7% in the conventional segment.

National supply remained fully sourced from the Sines LNG terminal, while the interconnection with Spain recorded an export balance equivalent to 35% of national consumption.

From January to August, natural gas consumption recorded a year-on-year decrease of around 22%, with a 68% reduction in the electricity production segment and an increase of 2.2% in the conventional segment.