Lisbon, July 1, 2025 (Lusa) - Electricity consumption in Portugal reached its highest ever level on the national grid in the first half of the year, with a year-on-year increase of 2%, according to figures released by REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais on Tuesday.

“Consumers used 26,229 gigawatt hours between January and June, exceeding the previous maximum of around 240 gigawatt hours, recorded in 2010,” said the global manager of the electricity system.

Until June, electricity production from renewable sources supplied 77% of consumption, with hydroelectric power accounting for 36%, wind 26%, solar 11% and biomass 5%.

Natural gas production supplied 13% of consumption, while the remaining 10% came from imported energy.

In an analysis of June alone, REN recorded a 4.4% increase in electricity consumption, or 3.1% after adjusting for temperature and working days.

In that month, “although demand rose, weather conditions offered limited opportunities for electricity production from renewable sources,” so renewable production supplied 55% of consumption, non-renewable production provided 17%, and imports met the remaining 28%.

In the natural gas market, consumption grew by 32% year-on-year in June, driven by increased electricity production from natural gas. In contrast, the conventional segment, which includes other consumers, recorded a 14% increase.

In the first half of the year, natural gas consumption grew by 10.1%, with the electricity production segment more than doubling compared to the same period last year, while the conventional segment declined by 7.6%, reaching its lowest level since 2009.

MPE/ADB // ADB.

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