Terna Report: Electricity Consumption Increases in February and Renewables Grow

In February, Italy witnessed a 1.6% increase in electricity consumption compared to 2023 data, with a total demand of 25.3 billion kWh. This increase is reflected in the data provided by Terna, the national transmission grid operator, and fits within a context of continuous growth for renewable energies, both in terms of installed capacity (+561 MW compared to the first two months of 2023) and production, with a significant increase for hydroelectric (+70.4%) and wind (+26.4%). Conversely, thermoelectric production shows a 17.5% decrease compared to February 2023, with a marked drop for coal (-75%).

A Peculiar February: Effects of the Leap Year and Climate on Italian Consumption

With 2024 marking a leap year, February benefited from an additional working day and average temperatures 2.6°C higher than last year. Even considering adjustments for seasonality, calendar variation, and temperature fluctuations, electricity demand remained virtually unchanged, with a slight negative variation of 0.3%. The trend in electricity consumption recorded an increase nationwide, with growth of 2% in Northern Italy, 1.3% in Central Italy, and 0.7% in Southern regions and the Islands.

In the first two months of the year, national demand decreased by 1.8% compared to the same period in 2023, with an adjusted value showing +0.5%.

Industrial Dynamics and External Interconnections: Pillars of February's Electricity Consumption

Terna's IMCEI index, which monitors the industrial consumption of energy-intensive companies, recorded a 3.5% growth compared to February 2023. Analyzing individual sectors, increases were noted in transportation, paper, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, food, and steel, while declines were recorded in cement, lime, gypsum, ceramics, glass, and mechanics.

National production covered 75.8% of Italy's electricity demand in February, with the remaining 24.2% met by the balance of electricity exchanged with abroad, which reached 6.1 TWh, marking a 29.8% increase compared to February 2023.

(Source: https://www.terna.it/en/media/press-releases/detail/electricity-consumption-february-2024)

Green Resolution: Renewables Steer Italy Towards a Sustainable Energy Future

The national net production was 19.3 billion kWh, with renewables covering 32.7% of the demand (26.8% in February 2023). There was an increase in hydroelectric production (+70.4%), wind (+26.4%), and geothermal (+4.3%), while thermal production decreased due to the rise in renewables and imports (-17.5%). Notably, coal-based production saw a significant decline (-75%).

In 2024, the operational capacity of renewables saw an increase of 1,330 MW, a value 73% higher (+561 MW) compared to the same period of the previous year.

For further details, consult the Monthly Report on the Electrical System available on Terna: https://www.terna.it/it