Terna: electricity demand in Italy during July 2021 was 30.3 billion kWh, +4.9% YoY

Terna: electricity demand in Italy during July 2021 was 30.3 billion kWh, +4.9% YoY

IMCEI Index up and still above pre-Covid levels: positive growth in steel and engineering sectors; National monthly demand at 30.3 billion kWh: +4.9% over 2020. Renewables at 38%

(PRESS RELEASE) ROME, 11-Aug-2021 — /EuropaWire/ — Terna, a transmission system operator in Italy and Europe’s first grid operator for electricity transmission, has released its analyses for the electricity demand in Italy during the month of July 2021. According to the data, the electricity demand in Italy in July 2021 was 30.3 billion kWh and 38% of which was covered by renewable sources. This figure is up by 4.9% compared to July 2020. Industrial consumption confirms a substantial return to pre-Covid levels, thanks to the growth seen in almost all of the sectors monitored by Terna.

Analysing the July data in detail, this year July had one less working day (22 vs 23 in 2020) and an average monthly temperature around 0.5°C higher than July 2020. The figure of electricity demand, adjusted for calendar and temperature effects, was up by 3.8%. When looking regionally, the July trend was positive across the country: +4.3% in the North, +4.6% in Central Italy and +6.2% in the South. In comparative terms, the data, adjusted for seasonal, calendar and temperature effects, recorded a slight decline of 0.9% compared to the previous month (June 2021). In the first seven months of the year, electricity demand in Italy grew by 7.3% compared to the same period in 2020 (figure unchanged in adjusted terms).

In July, electricity demand was met for approximately 85.5% through domestic production and the remainder (14.5%) through the balance of electricity exchanged with foreign countries. More in detail, net domestic production (26.1 billion kWh) increased by 0.3% compared to July 2020. The following sources increased: wind (+44.9%), hydroelectric (+6.7%) and geothermal (+1.5%); while photovoltaic (-7.8%) and thermal (-2.6%) dropped. Relative to the import/export balance, the change amounted to +43.9% due to the combined effect of an increase in imports (+30.7%) and a decrease in exports (-50.8%).

Terna’s IMCEI index – which directly examines and monitors the industrial consumption of about 530 large energy consumers connected to the Italian electricity transmission grid (large industries in the following sectors: cement, lime and gypsum, steel, chemical, engineering, transportation, food, paper, ceramics and glass and non-ferrous metals) – confirms also for this month the substantial return of industrial consumption to pre-Covid levels: the index is up 10.3% compared to July 2020 and 2.1% compared to July 2019. In particular, double-digit increase for the steel and engineering sectors, growth of non-ferrous metals more contained. Transportation and construction materials, on the other hand, dropped.

In view of the anomalous values in electricity consumption recorded from March 2020 onwards, Terna deemed it appropriate to conduct an additional statistical analysis also for this month and using 2019 as a benchmark. According to Terna’s data, the value of electricity demand for July 2021 was down by 2.1% compared to July 2019 (in adjusted terms the value does not change). Figures for the first seven months in 2021 are down by 2% compared to the same period in 2019 (-1.8% adjusted).

A detailed analysis of provisional 2021 monthly electricity demand is available in the publication “Monthly Report on the Electricity System”, under the section “Electric System>>Dispatching>>Operating Data” at www.terna.it/en

Real-time data on the operation of the national electricity system can also be found on the Terna app, available on all app stores:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.terna.energia&hl=it

https://apps.apple.com/it/app/terna/id1458535498

SOURCE: TERNA S.p.A.