In March 2016, as reported by Terna, the company that manages the national electricity grid, the demand for electricity in Italy recorded a drop of 2,2% compared to the same month of the previous year, with the same calendar and temperature. Considering that this year the Easter holidays took place in March and that the average monthly temperature was substantially in line with that of March 2015, the total electricity demand of 26 billion kWh corresponds to a drop 2,9%.
In quarterly terms, the seasonally adjusted change in electricity demand in March 2016 compared to February was +0,4%. The trend profile remains decreasing. Of the 26 billion kWh required in March 2016, 47,1% are distributed in the North, 29,2% in the Center and 23,7% in the South. At a territorial level, the demand for electricity in the in March 2016 it was down by 2,1% in the North, by 3,2% in the Center and by 4,3% in the South.
In March 2016, 83,2% of the demand for electricity was met with domestic production and the remainder (16,8%) with the balance of electricity exchanged with foreign countries. In detail, net national production (21,8 billion kWh) decreased by 3,6% compared to March 2015. The source of geothermal production increased (+3,1%); hydroelectric (-2,1%), thermoelectric (-2,4%), wind (-8,1%) and photovoltaic (-12,4%) sources were down.
In the first quarter of 2016, the demand for electricity decreased by 1,5% compared to the values of the corresponding period of 2015; with the same calendar, the result is -2,3%.
