Spanish Gas Demand Grows in 2016
Spanish gas grid operator Enagas has said that gas demand in Spain in 2016 grew by 2% year on year.
This marked the second consecutive year of growth in gas demand since 2008, said Enagas on December 29.
Overall demand reached 321 TWh (29.85bn m3), 2% higher than in 2015. Demand from industry increased by 3% in line with economic growth. Residential/small business demand grew by 2.3% as a result of new customers added to the grid and slightly cooler weather in 2016.
Barcelona LNG regasification terminal (Photo credit: Enagas)
In contrast, demand for natural gas in power generation declined by 2% relative to 2015. However, Enagas registered monthly records for gas use by power plants in October and November 2016 which it says "highlights the importance of natural gas as a back up in the power generation mix." Factors that explain those autumn 2016 records include lower contributions from wind and hydro power to electricity generation and increased electricity exports to France, due to nuclear outages there.
In 2016, industry accounted for 59% of the total 321 TWh consumed, followed by the domestic-commercial sector with 19%, power plants with another 19%, and LNG tankers 3%.
Mark Smedley