spain reduced his gas consumption by 11% with respect to average of the last five years in between on August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 up to a total of 232,430 gigawatt-hours (GWh), according to data published by enagas. This rate is below the 15% “voluntary” savings agreed by the Twenty-seven countries of the European Union this summer. But it serves to put end to a winter in which there has not been mandatory consumption restrictions and the gas price has remained in a certain way’content’ until ending in the environment of the 40 euros per megavatio-hour (MW).
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition defends that when accounting for the decrease in gas consumption, the fuel used by the combined cycle plants to face the increased demand for electricity from France and Portugal. According to their data, until February the cumulative reduction in demand was 19%so that in the absence of a month to complete the period, everything suggests that With this measure, Spain would meet the objective set. In any case, the voluntary reduction commitment is based on Member States making their best efforts and it would only be alert situation when that objective would translate into an obligation. And in that situation, Spain’s goal would be reduced to between 6% and 7%.
Enagás figures confirm that the demand for gas to generate electricity (combined cycles, mostly) increases 42% compared to the previous five yearsup to a total of 86.170 GWh. The main reason is that solidarity with neighboring countries, but also the drought that prevented Spain use renewable generation. In fact, in January there was a increase in gas consumption to produce electricity of 20%, despite the fact that foreign sales remained high. It coincides that, of the eight months analysed, it is the one in which the hydraulics had more presence (16.2%) to the detriment of the combined cycles (11,4%).
Industry Efficiency
The bulk of the decline in consumption is focused on what is called conventional demand, which groups households, companies and, above all, industry. In that case, the demand for gas was a 27% lower, up to a total of 146,258 GWh. The incentive for ‘small’ consumers came from the measures to save promoted by the Government and that are grouped in the contingency plan, approved in October. Among them, some controversies, such as the obligation for businesses and public establishments to adjust their temperature and turn off the lights after 10 p.m. Others that have not been implemented, such as the recommendation to save consumers on bills. And many others of character structuralsuch as the reform of the regulated tariff (PVPC) that the Government wants to activate as of 2024.
In the case of the industrythe main consumer, the refiningchanged the gas to more efficient fuels to saveas explained by the spokesperson for the Association of Petroleum Operators (AOP), Ines Cardenal. And that pushed consumption down and added to other industries who were forced to stop their production due to the rising energy prices. “We had decreases that had reached 35% compared to the previous year. But in the last few months the fall in demand has slowed. In February we were at 17% and I hope that the figures for March maintain that reduction”, explains the president of the employers’ association big gas consumers (GasIndustrial), Veronica Riviere.
towards the next winter
Less gas consumption is one of the four axes devised by Europe for prepare the continent for possible supply problems of Russia, Next to the import diversificationthe installation of renewables and the filling of warehouses. In the first case, Spain imports 90% of the gas from six different countriesalthough it maintains Moscow as one of its main suppliers. In renewable powersince April 2022 they have installed almost 5,000 new MW, up to a total of 71,052 MW. And in the case of storageends the winter in maximums of the 81,4%.
A few weeks ago, European countries decided keep these goals to prepare the continent for the coming winter. “We have passed only the first battle. We still have a long fight ahead of us”, said the Energy Commissioner a few weeks ago, Kadri Samson. “If Spain accepts the exception of reducing its consumption to 7% and gas exports are discounted, with the refinery changing fuel could easily be accomplished”, explained Rivière.