Terna: electricity consumption grew by 16% in February

A February i electricity consumption in Italy are increasing by1,6% compared to the same month in 2023. According to data from Ternathe company that manages the national transmission network, the electricity requirement was equal to 25.3 billiondi in kWh. In detail, 2024 is a leap year and February had one more working day (21 instead of 20) and an average monthly temperature 2.6 degrees higher than the same month in 2023. The electricity demand data, seasonally adjusted and corrected by the opposing effects of calendar and temperature, it is substantially stable (-0.3%). At a territorial level, the trend change in February was positive everywhere: +2% in the North, +1.3% in the Center and +0.7% in the South and Islands.

In the first two months of the year, the national requirement grew by 1.8% compared to the corresponding period of 2023 (+0.5% the adjusted value). L’Imcei index elaborated by Terna, which examines the industrial consumption of so-called energy-intensive companies, recorded a growth of 3.5% compared to February 2023. The index data, seasonally adjusted and corrected by the calendar effect, is stable (+0 ,2%). In detail, the sectors of transport, paper, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, food and steel were positive; decreasing in cement, lime and gypsum, ceramics and glass and mechanics.

In cyclical terms, the value of the electricity demand seasonally adjusted and corrected by calendar effects and temperature is almost stationary compared to January 2024 (-0.3%). Slightly positive sign forImcei index, +0.3%. The Imser index, which Terna publishes on the basis of monthly electricity consumption data provided by some distribution network operators (E-Distribuzione, Unareti, A-Reti, Edyna and Deval), recorded, in December 2023, a positive change of 2.4% compared to December 2022. Overall, the change in 2023 compared to the previous year is negative (-1.2%). This trend is determined by a comparison with a two-speed 2022 which has been translated into 2023: the first half of the year was in fact characterized by a decrease which continued until August, starting to show a recovery in the second part of the year which however, it was not enough to close the year on a positive note. Returning to Terna’s monthly budgetin February 2024, 75.8% of Italian electricity demand was satisfied by national production and the remaining share (24.2%) by the balance of energy exchanged with foreign countries.

Il value of the monthly foreign balance it is equal to 6.1 TWh, 29.8% more than February 2023 (4.7 TWh), and exceeds the already very high value of January, confirming the increasingly strategic role of interconnections with foreign countries both for the safety and economy of the system. In particular, the import-export balance is the result of the combined effect of an increase in imports (+26.6%) and a decrease in exports (-37.8%). In detail, the net national production it was equal to 19.3 billion kWh. The renewables they covered 32.7% of electricity demand (it was 26.8% in February 2023). The water source increased +70.4%, wind +26.4% and geothermal +4.3%. Decreasing the thermal source as a direct consequence of the growth of renewables and imports: -17.5% compared to February 2023. In detail, we observe the collapse of coal production: -75% compared to the same period last year. Almost stable there photovoltaic source (-0.4%). In 2024, renewable capacity in operation increased by 1,330 MW. This value is 561 MW higher (+73%) compared to the same period of the previous year.