CdM | In the first half of the year, coinciding with the blackout on 28 April, gas consumption for electricity generation in Spain rose by 41.2%, as the country relied heavily on fossil fuels to stabilise its electricity grid.
As Enagás pointed out in a statement on its results, the growth in demand for gas for electricity generation was due to the ‘increased share of combined cycles after the blackout, as a reinforcement of the security of electricity supply’.
‘The Spanish gas system operated at full capacity during the blackout on 28 April, supplying all consumers, particularly combined cycle plants, which were key to the gradual recovery of the electricity system,’ the company added.
Specifically, up to 30 June, total demand for natural gas and exports increased by 7.6% compared to the same period last year. Demand in Spain grew by 5.6%, driven mainly by the sharp increase in demand for electricity generation (41.2%) in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, total natural gas exports increased by 24.1% in this period.
Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo assured during the conference call on the company’s accounts that gas ‘played a decisive role in restoring normality in Spain after the blackout on 28 April, guaranteeing supply to all consumers’.
