“In the natural gas market, the downward trend in consumption continues with a negative year-on-year variation of 5.7%“, says REN. This decrease results from a 16% drop in the conventional market — which uses natural gas directly — but was partially offset by the electricity market, whose consumption of natural gas for electricity production grew by 9%.

According to ECO, from January to October, natural gas consumption recorded a negative year-on-year change of 1.6%, as a result of a 20% drop in the conventional segment and a 35% growth in the electricity generation segment. In the same period, renewable production supplied 44% of consumption, divided by wind power with 24%, hydroelectric with 9%, biomass with 7% and photovoltaic with 5%. Natural gas production supplied 33% of consumption, with imports supplying the remaining 22%.

In the last month, “hydroelectric productivity did not exceed 0.59 (historical average of 1), conditioned by the low inflows from Spain into the Douro”, reads the statement sent by REN.