Natural gas consumption by EU members has been falling, with imports of piped fuel totaling 11.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) in June, a 20% year-on-year decrease, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) has said in its monthly report.
The publication released on Sunday showed that in the first half of 2023, consumption of gas by the 27-member union dropped by 10% in annual terms, amounting to 178 bcm. Overall, pipeline gas deliveries to the EU plummeted by 34% to 76.7 bcm as a result of reduced imports from Russia and Norway.
“This decline was primarily due to the growing wind and solar energy output, which led to a decrease in the reliance on gas for electricity generation. In addition, the ongoing implementation of the EU regulation promoting a voluntary 15% reduction in gas demand from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 impacted the gas consumption in the EU,” the GECF stated.
According to the report, industrial sector demand has not fully recovered compared to last year, despite gas prices recently falling.
Gas-based electricity production within the EU was down by 17% year-on-year, while total electricity production decreased by 7%, reaching 182 terawatt-hours (TWh). Additionally, there was a significant decrease of 39% in electricity generation from coal.
The EU previously covered about two-fifths of its gas needs through Russian energy imports. Last year, member states agreed to voluntarily reduce gas consumption by 15% from August 2022 until March 2023. The agreement has been extended for another 12 months.
However, according to the European Environmental Bureau, only 14 out of 27 EU nations have adopted compulsory measures to slash energy consumption.
Five of the 14 – Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal – reportedly made up 60% of the fall in demand, while Bulgaria, Latvia, and Romania were the only member states that have not implemented any energy-saving regulations. This was partially attributed to already low gas demand in these countries.
Energy experts have cited the mild winter of 2022 as helping EU members to consume less energy, while high prices resulted in energy-intensive industries scaling back production.
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