The recovery also passes from the bill and finally the signals are positive: Italian electricity consumption, in fact, returned to growth in 2015 after three consecutive years of declines. According to provisional data released by Terna, the company that manages the national electricity grid, the total energy demand in our country last year amounted to 315,2 billion kilowatt hours, an increase of 1,5% compared to 2014 On equal working days, the change is positive by 1,3%. As regards the month of December 2015 alone, Terna specifies that consumption has reached 25,8 billion kilowatt hours, up by 0,6% on an annual basis.
Driving the increase in 2015 were in particular the Southern macro-area (Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata), which recorded the most consistent growth with +4,4%, that made up of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna with a +4,3% and that of the Center (Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, Molise, Umbria) with a positive change of 2,3% compared to 2014. The increase in electricity demand in Sardinia was more contained (+0,8% ) and Lombardy (+0,4%). Consumption in the Northeast macro-area (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto) is stationary.
In 2015, 85,3% of the demand for electricity was met with domestic production and the remaining 14,7% with the balance of electricity exchanged with foreign countries. In detail, net national production (270,7 billion kWh) grew by 0,6% compared to 2014. The sources of photovoltaic production (+13,0%), thermoelectric (+8,3%) and geothermal (+4,5%). On the other hand, water (-24,9%, after the historical record of 2014) and wind (-3,3%) sources of production were down, mainly due to the different weather conditions recorded in 2015.
Overall, the production of renewable sources (hydroelectric, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal and biomass) reached 107,8 billion kWh, equal to 39,8% of net national production. In 2015, a new all-time record for electricity consumption was also achieved in Italy: at 16 pm on Tuesday 21 July, Terna recorded a peak value of 59.353 MW (+15,1% compared to the maximum demand of 2014).
Of the 25,8 billion kWh required in the month of December, 48,8% are distributed in the North, 30% in the Center and 21,2% in the South. At the territorial level, the December 2015 trend variation is was zero in the North, positive by 1,3% in the Center and 1,6% in the South. In December 2015, 83,3% of the demand for electricity was met with national production and the share the remainder (16,7%) from the balance of energy exchanged with foreign countries.
