During the week of September 21, electricity demand fell in most major European power markets versus the previous week. Italy recorded the largest decrease at 3.7%, followed by Belgium with a 3.5% drop. Germany declined by 2.2% after four consecutive weeks of increases.
France and Spain posted smaller weekly decreases of 0.9% and 0.2%, respectively. Italy, France and Spain each recorded their third consecutive weekly decline in electricity demand. In contrast, demand increased in Great Britain and Portugal over the same comparison period.
The British market saw the largest rise at 5.3%, following the decline reported in the previous week. Portugal recorded a 1.2% increase, marking its fourth consecutive week of growth. These movements coincided with changes in average temperatures across the analysed markets.
Temperature changes alongside weekly demand moves
Average temperatures declined in most analysed markets during the week of September 21. Germany recorded the largest temperature drop at 3.1°C, followed by Italy with a decrease of 2.1°C and Belgium with a decline of 1.9°C. Temperatures fell by 0.8°C in both France and Great Britain.
Portugal and Spain moved in the opposite direction, with average temperatures increasing by 1.2°C and 0.8°C, respectively. For the week of September 28, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting expects electricity demand to increase in Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium and France.
AleaSoft forecasts demand to decline in Italy, Spain and Germany for the week of September 28. The forecast is linked to temperature changes and market-specific consumption patterns as Europe continues further into the autumn period, AleaSoft reports.