Italian Energy System: Consumption Decreased by 2.8% in 2023
Renewable Energy Sources Covered 36.8% of Energy Demand
Electricity consumption in Italy experienced important changes in 2023, according to the new report by Terna.
Total consumption dropped by 2.8%, reaching 306.1 billion kWh, while production from renewable sources increased, covering 36.8% of the demand, up from 31% in 2022. This increase was mainly due to unprecedented levels of hydroelectric production.
Italian Energy System: 3.9% Decrease in Consumption
Industrial consumption, monitored by Terna's IMCEI index, showed a 3.9% decrease compared to 2022. The overall trend in consumption was downward in the first half of the year, with a slight recovery from September, but still below historical levels.
From the supply side, 2023 saw a significant increase in renewable production (+15.4%) and the net balance of energy exchanged with abroad (+19.2%), due to a reduction in exports and an increase in imports. This led to a notable decrease in thermoelectric production (-17.4%) and, particularly, coal-fired production (-41.7%), also due to the suspension of initiatives to maximize the use of coal plants introduced during the gas crisis.
Regionally, electricity demand decreased across Italy:
-4% in the North
-2% in the Center
-0.9% in the South and Islands
83.3% of the demand was met by national production, with a 6.4% decrease compared to 2022.
National Energy System: Approximately 5.8 GW of New Activations in 2023
In 2023, new renewable activations reached approximately 5.8 GW, marking an acceleration in the development of these energies. The increases were particularly as follows:
Hydroelectric +36.1%
Wind +15.1%
Photovoltaic +10.6%
Regarding general data, in December 2023, electricity demand increased by 0.8%, despite two fewer working days and similar temperatures to December 2022. However, this increase did not bring demand back to pre-energy crisis levels.
Regionally, December saw a decrease in the North but an increase in the Center and South. National production covered 81.8% of the demand, with a significant increase in renewables, which reached 34.5% of the monthly demand.
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