Renewables supply 88% of electricity consumption in January

Electricity consumption recorded a year-on-year growth of 4.1% in January, which is slightly lowered to 3.7% when correcting for the effects of temperature and number of working days.

With favourable weather conditions for renewable technologies, high capability indices were recorded, namely for hydropower with 1.53 (historical average of 1), but also for photovoltaics with 1.18 and wind power with 1.02.  Renewable generation supplied 88% of consumption (including the exporting balance), with hydropower standing out with 51%, followed by wind power with 28%, biomass with 5%, and photovoltaics with 4%. As a result of the conditions verified and also of the increase in the installed renewable power in the multiple technologies, new historic highs were reached this month in the instantaneous values injected into the grid, both in hydropower and photovoltaic generation, which is already reaching daily peaks of around 1400 MW.  As regards hydropower generation, the highest monthly value ever was recorded. Non-renewable generation, through natural gas power stations, supplied the remaining 12% of consumption (including the exporting balance).  The balance of trade, which favoured exports, was equivalent to about 4% of the domestic consumption.

In the natural gas market, consumption recorded a year-on-year decrease of 30%, essentially due to the behaviour of the power generation segment, which fell by 64% as a result of the high availability of renewable energy, unlike what had happened in the same period of the previous year. In the conventional segment, the downward trend in consumption recorded throughout the previous year continued, although less pronounced, with a year-on-year decrease of 2.1%.