Portugal imported 40% of the electricity it consumed in October, with water and wind below average

Portugal covered 40% of the electricity it consumed in October through net imports, according to data published on Monday by grid operator REN and reported by the Lusa agency and Jornal de Negócios. Renewable generation supplied 47% of consumption and non-renewable generation 13%.

The month's figures. The hydro productivity index was 0.58 and the wind index 0.61, both below the historical average of 1. Only solar had favourable conditions, with an index of 1.05. Electricity consumption fell 0.2% year on year in October, a figure unchanged after correcting for temperature and working days.

The first ten months. Between January and October consumption rose 3% (2.5% after corrections). Renewables covered 62% of consumption: hydro and wind 22% each, solar PV 13% and biomass 5%. Gas-fired plants supplied 14% and the import balance 24%, the highest share ever recorded for the period, according to REN.

Gas flows the other way. Natural gas consumption fell 20.5% in October, with a 27% drop in the power generation segment and 17% in the conventional segment. All of the month's supply came through the Sines LNG terminal, and gas exports to Spain were equivalent to about two thirds of national consumption. Over ten months, gas came mainly from Nigeria (54%), the United States (39%) and Russia (7%), and the export balance with Spain was the highest recorded for the period.

Context. For the first nine months, REN had reported on 2 October record consumption of 40.5 TWh, an import share of 22% and a hydro productivity index of 1.21. In October, with water and wind below average, a growing part of consumption was covered by imports.

Real-time data for the country are on the country page