According to Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), wind energy supplied 25 percent of consumption, hydroelectric 23 percent, photovoltaic 7 percent and biomass 6 percent.
There was also a 70 percent year-on-year growth in hydroelectric production, given the particularly dry year that occurred in 2022, as well as a 43 percent growth in photovoltaic production, due to the progressive increase in installed capacity.
Non-renewable production supplied only 19 percent of consumption, totalling 10 TWh, the lowest value since 1988.
“This is due not only to the greater availability of renewable energy but also to the high import balance, which supplied 20 percent of consumption, which is the highest value ever and its largest share in supplying consumption since 1981”, pointed out REN.
Electricity consumption supplied from the public grid in 2023 reached 50.7 TWh, an increase of 0.8 percent compared to the previous year, being the highest consumption since 2018, remaining around 3 percent of the historical maximum recorded in the national system, in 2010.
In December, consumption recorded strong growth of 6.9 percent or 5.6 percent, correcting for the effects of temperature and working days, with renewable production supplying 73 percent of this consumption and non-renewable production 11 percent, while the remaining 16 percent corresponded to the import balance.
With regard to natural gas, in 2023, global consumption was the lowest since 2014, reaching 49 TWh, which represents a decrease of 21 percent compared to the previous year, resulting from a 42 percent reduction in the gas production segment.
The supply of the national system in 2023 was mainly done from the Sines terminal, with 95 percent of the total natural gas entering Portugal, and the remaining 5 percent being received through interconnection with Spain.
The gas discharged in Sines originated mainly in Nigeria and the United States, which represented, respectively, 42 percent and 40 percent of national supply.
In December, gas consumption maintained the downward trend that was recorded throughout the year, with an overall year-on-year decrease of 11.5 percent, with a 51 percent drop in the electricity market, partially offset by a 10 percent growth in the conventional segment.