(AGENPARL) – ven 22 marzo 2024 Monthly demand at 25.3 billion kWh
TERNA: ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION UP +1.6% IN FEBRUARY
The growth in renewables continues in terms of both installed capacity (+561 MW compared to the
first two months of 2023) and production: hydroelectric production +70.4%, wind production
+26.4%
Thermoelectric production is still down: -17.5% compared to February 2023, -75% for carbon
Record of foreign balance: 6.1 TWh, an increase of 29.8% compared to February 2023
Rome, 22 March 2024 – Italian electricity consumption rose by 1.6% in February compared to 2023
figures. According to data gathered by Terna, the national transmission grid operator, electricity
demand was 25.3 billion kWh.
More specifically, 2024 is a leap year and February had one more working day (21 instead of 20)
and the average monthly temperature was 2.6°C higher than February 2023. The figure for electricity
demand, adjusted for seasonal, calendar and temperature effects, is substantially stable (-0.3%). At
the regional level, the trend in February was upwards across the country: +2% in the North, +1.3%
in Central Italy and +0.7% in the South and Islands.
In the first two months of the year, national demand decreased by 1.8% compared to the
corresponding period of 2023 (+0.5% adjusted value).
Terna’s IMCEI index, which considers the industrial consumption of energy-intensive companies,
recorded a growth of 3.5% compared to February 2023. The index figure, adjusted for seasonal and
calendar effects, is stable (+0.2%). Looking at individual sectors, increases were recorded in
transport, paper, chemicals, non-iron metals, food and iron and steel, while there were decreases in
cement, lime and gypsum, ceramics and glass and engineering.
The short-term figure for electricity demand, adjusted for seasonal, calendar and temperature
effects, was stable compared to January 2024 (-0.3%). The IMCEI index was slightly positive
(+0.3%).
Terna’s IMSER index, based on the electricity consumption data provided by some distribution
network operators (E-Distribuzione, UNARETI, A-Reti, Edyna and Deval), showed an increase of
2.4% in December 2023 compared to December 2022. Overall, the 2023 trend is negative (-1.2%)
compared to the previous year. This is due to a comparison with 2022 that shows two phases, which
then protracted in 2023: the first semester was in fact characterised by a decrease that lasted until
August, then the situation improved during the second part of the year, but it was not enough to end
the year with a positive sign.
Returning to Terna’s monthly figures, February 2024 saw 75.8% of Italian electricity demand met by
national production, and the remainder (24.2%) by the balance of electricity exchanged with foreign
countries. The monthly foreign balance was 6.1 TWh, +29.8% compared to February 2023 (4.7 TWh)
and reaching the already high level of January, confirming the increasingly strategic role of foreign
interconnections both in terms of security and economics of the system. In particular, the importexport balance is the result of the combined effect of an increase in imports (+26.6%) and a decrease
in exports (-37.8%).
Looking at the breakdown, net national production was 19.3 billion kWh. Renewables covered 32.7%
of electricity demand (26.8% in February 2023). There was an increase in hydroelectric (+70.4%),
wind (+26.4%) and geothermal power (+4.3%). A decrease was recorded in thermal production as
a direct consequence of growth in renewables and imports: -17.5% compared to February 2023.
Specifically, a huge drop in coal-based production was noted: -75% compared to the same period
last year. Photovoltaic production remained rather stable (-0.4%).
In 2024, the operating capacity of renewables increased by 1,330 MW. This value is 561 MW higher
(+73%) compared to the same period of the previous year.
A detailed analysis of provisional monthly electricity demand is available in the “Monthly Report on
the Electricity System”, available under the section “Electric System>>Publications>>Monthly
Report” at http://www.terna.it website.
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