MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The national electricity demand registered a decrease of 3.5% last September with respect to the same month of the previous year, once the effects of temperature and labor were discounted.
In gross terms, a demand of 20,427 gigawatt hours (GWh) is estimated, 2.7% lower than that of the ninth month of last year, according to data from Red Eléctrica de España.
In this way, the behavior of the electricity demand in September confirms the downward trend also observed in the month of August, when the energy saving plan, promoted by the Government to face the energy crisis, began to be applied.
Thus, in the first nine months of this year, according to provisional data, once the influence of the calendar and temperatures have been corrected, demand is 2.1% lower than that registered in the previous year.
In the month of September, and according to data estimated to date, generation from renewable energy sources represented 37.2% of production. 58.2% of electricity production came from technologies that do not emit CO2 equivalent.
For its part, the generation of wind origin in September was 4,186 gigawatt hours (GWh) and accounted for 17.6% of the total, with an increase of 29.6% compared to September of the year.
In the case of solar photovoltaic, with 2,637 GWh registered in September, its production increased by 37.3% compared to last year, reaching a share of 11.1% of the total, while hydraulic generation decreased by 14, 2% compared to September 2021 due to the lack of precipitation.
However, the generation that contributed the most to the energy ‘mix’ in September was, for another month, natural gas combined cycles, with 33.2% of the total and it also becomes the technology with the most weight so far of the year, with 24.8%; ahead of wind (20.8%) and nuclear (20.2%).
In August, the Government’s energy saving plan to reduce consumption came into effect in the second week of the month. Spain has a commitment with Brussels to voluntarily reduce its gas consumption by just under 7% between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, compared to the average consumption of the last five years.
In the peninsular electricity system, the demand for September fell by 4.1%, compared to September 2021, taking into account the effects of labor and temperatures (19,059 GWh, 3.2% less than that registered in the same month of 2021 in gross terms).
Thus, at the peninsular level, the downward trend in demand that was observed last August is also confirmed. In the first nine months of 2022, once the influence of both factors has been corrected, demand is 2.8% lower than that registered in the same period of the previous year.
During this month and according to estimated data to date, 38.5% of peninsular generation was from renewable sources and 60.7% came from technologies that do not emit CO2 equivalent.
For its part, wind energy registered 4,059 GWh and contributed 18% of electricity, while photovoltaic solar energy, with 11.5% of the ‘mix’, has increased its production by 37.4% compared to the same month of the year previous, up to 2,586 GWh.
Meanwhile, in the Balearic Islands, the demand for electrical energy last month was estimated at 595,452 megawatt hours (MWh), 9.5% higher than that registered in September 2021.
According to provisional data, if the effects of the calendar and temperatures are taken into account, the increase stood at 11.7% compared to the previous year.
This summer, the electricity demand in the Balearic Islands has experienced an increase of 16.7% in July compared to July of last year and 15% in August compared to the same month of 2021. Taking into account the factors of temperature and calendar, the increases they were 15.7% and 17.4%.
Regarding generation, the combined cycle, with 73.9% of the energy produced in the Balearic Islands, was the first source of the islands in September. Thus, renewable energy without CO2 equivalent emissions generated in the Balearic community represents 7.2% of the total. In addition, during this month, the submarine link between the Peninsula and Mallorca contributed to cover 11.7% of the Balearic electricity demand.
For its part, in the Canary archipelago, the demand for electricity stood at 738,773 MWh, 2% higher than that registered in September last year. If the effects of the calendar and temperatures are taken into account, demand increased by 1.8% compared to the previous year.
The electricity demand had registered an increase of 7.8% in July and 4% in August, always compared to the same months of 2021. Discounting the effects of the calendar and temperatures, the increases were 6.7% in July and 3 .5% in August.
As for electricity generation in the Canary Islands, the combined cycle, with 41.1% of the total, was also the leading source in September. Thus, renewables and emission-free technologies represented 21.1% of production, with the contribution of wind power being 17.2%.
