In August the electricity requirement in Italy it was equal to 27,5 billion kWh, in growth of 8,1% compared to August 2023. This is the highest consumption figure ever for the month of August, a record achieved due to the exceptionally high temperatures which have led to an increasingly massive use of air conditioning systems. A phenomenon which, combined with the increase in consumption in the service sector, has determined a substantial growth in electricity demand. These are the monthly data on electricity consumption released by Terna, the company that manages the national transmission network led by Giuseppina Di Foggia.
August 2024 temperatures 2°C higher than 2023
The positive variation, in clear contrast with the slightly negative data of August last year (-0,6%), was achieved with one less working day (21 vs 22) and a average monthly temperature much 2°C higher to that of August 2023.
The electricity demand data, deseasonalized and corrected for the opposing effects of calendar and temperature, therefore brings the variation to +4,8% compared to August 2023.
A territorial level, the trend variation in August was positive everywhere: +7,9% in the North, +8,6% in the Center and +8,4% in the South and the Islands. In the first eight months of the year, the national requirement grew by 2,5% compared to the corresponding period of 2023 (the adjusted value is +2,2%).
Consumption by energy-intensive companies and services is also increasing
The Imcei index (Monthly index of industrial electricity consumption) developed by Terna, which examines the industrial consumption of so-called “energy-intensive” companies, recorded a growth of 1,9% compared to August 2023. Correcting the data for the calendar effect, the variation comes to +2,5%. The Imser index (Monthly index of services) recorded, in June 2024, a positive variation of 1,9% compared to June 2023.
Hydroelectric production (+9,4%) and photovoltaic production (+15,1%) are growing
Returning to Terna's monthly balance sheet, last month Italian electricity demand was satisfied for 86,6% from national production and for the remainder (13,4%) from the balance of energy exchanged with foreign countries.
In detail, net national production was equal to 23,9 billion kWh. renewables covered 40,5% of electricity demand (it was 43,7% in August 2023). Thermal sources are growing (+12,8%), mainly due to the growth in gas generation due to the increase in demand. The share of coal production continues to decline, -63,7% compared to the same month in 2023. Hydroelectric sources (+9,4%) and photovoltaic sources (+15,1%) are also growing. Wind sources (-47,7%, caused by a lack of wind) and geothermal sources (-2,3%) are decreasing.
In the first eight months of 2024, renewable capacity in operation increased by 4.825 MW (of which 4.350 MW of photovoltaic). This value is 1.237 MW (+34%) higher than the same period of the previous year. In detail, the new operating capacity of photovoltaic is progressively shifting towards grid scale plants.
