Portugal Uses Less Gas in 2018

Portugal's networks operator REN said May 3 that overall gas use in the first four months of 2018 declined, chiefly due to much lower gas-fired generation.

Natural gas consumption in Portugal during January-April 2018 was 8% lower year-on-year, with the power sector's demand down by 32% whereas other uses increased consumption by 3.5%. 

For April only, gas use in power generation continued to decline due to ample renewable energy (hydro and wind), with rains in March and April topping up dams twice as much as the seasonal norm. Gas used for power generation in April 2018 was 70% lower year on year, whereas gas used in other uses increased by 12% - influenced by higher residential demand because of low temperatures.

REN noted that during the first four months of 2018, fossil fuel generation accounted for just 34% of power consumed (gas 20% and coal 14%), with coal at its lowest in four years. It said that cold weather also influenced overall demand for electricity, consumption of which increased by 10.4% year-over-year in the month of April. 

It said that Portugal's renewable generation in April 2018 supplied 81% of the national consumption plus net exports combined. In March 2018, REN had said that renewable generation was enough to cover 99% of the country's consumption, or 83% if combined with net exports, which it said was the highest achieved since February 2014. In one weekend in March, no coal or gas-fired power was generated at all.