Solar power was the main source of electricity generation for the first time in Portugal

In July, and for the first time in Portugal, solar power generation was the dominant technology in supplying the national electricity system. In a month in which renewable generation accounted for 53 per cent of consumption, solar power accounted for 19 per cent, followed by hydro at 16 per cent, wind at 13 per cent, and biomass at 5 per cent. Non-renewable generation supplied 13 per cent of consumption, whilst the remaining 34 per cent came from imported energy. Among renewable sources, the productivity index for solar was 0.89, for hydro 1.26 and for wind 0.71.

In the first seven months of the year, renewable generation accounted for 68 per cent of consumption, broken down as follows: hydroelectric (27 per cent), wind (24 per cent), photovoltaic (12 per cent) and biomass (5 per cent). Natural gas-fired generation supplied 14 per cent of consumption, with the remaining 18 per cent provided by imported energy. From January to July, the hydroelectric productivity index stood at 1.19, the wind productivity index at 1.00 and the solar productivity index at 0.83.

In July, electricity consumption continued the upward trend seen throughout the year, recording a year-on-year increase of 3 per cent (1.8 per cent, after adjusting for temperature and the number of working days). In the first seven months of the year, cumulative consumption rose by 3.5% compared with the same period last year (3.1%, after adjusting for temperature and working days).

In the natural gas market, July saw a year-on-year fall of 7.3%, reflecting a 20% contraction in the electricity generation segment. In the conventional segment, which covers all other consumers, there was a slight year-on-year increase of 0.1%. During the month, the Sines LNG terminal fully met the national system’s supply requirements, with around two-thirds of the imported gas coming from Nigeria and the remainder from the United States.

In the first seven months of the year, cumulative natural gas consumption recorded an overall increase of 4.1 per cent, reflecting a rise of 0.3 per cent in the conventional segment and 14 per cent in the electricity generation segment. Nigeria and the United States remained the main sources of natural gas consumed in Portugal, accounting for 53 per cent and 33 per cent of the total, respectively.