Peninsular demand hits its highest point in a decade for the month of August

Peninsular demand for electricity reached 22,095 GWh in August, the highest level for that month in the last 10 years, the result—primarily—of anomalous, above-average temperatures recorded in the month of August.

Compared to the same month of 2017, the demand for electricity on the peninsular system increased 1.3% after three months of declines. After factoring in the effects of seasonal and working patterns, monthly energy demand rose 2.1% compared to the same month the previous year.

As for the Peninsula’s power generation structure, hydroelectric plants continue to be the source with the highest monthly production growth, 94.4%. This increase is explained when taking into account comparable data from 2017, which was an extremely dry year. Hydroelectric generation in August 2018 was normal for this time of year, representing 10% of total.

Nuclear was the top contributor in the peninsular generation mix for the month, with 24.4%. Coal ranked second, accounting for 16.7% of the peninsula’s total monthly generation, and producing 18.4% more than in August 2017.

The peninsular grid’s production of renewables in August increased 14.4% relative to the previous year, accounting for 33.8%, and benefitting from the boost in hydraulic generation considering wind produced 7.4% less than in August of last year.

Generation structure - August 2018

For more details about the behaviour of electricity demand, please consult the daily balance report.

 

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