As the holiday season approaches, electricity demand across Europe has shown notable fluctuations, particularly during the week of December 22. Most major markets reported a decline in consumption compared to the previous week, reversing an earlier upward trend. The Italian market experienced the most significant drop, with demand decreasing by 20%, while Belgium recorded a more modest reduction of 4.7%. Other key markets, including Germany, Spain, Portugal, and the UK, saw declines ranging from 8.2% to 11%. This decrease in demand is largely attributed to reduced activity during Christmas celebrations and St. Stephen’s Day on December 26.
In contrast, France experienced an uptick in electricity demand, increasing by 9.3% from the previous week. This rise is primarily linked to a drop in average temperatures by 5.0 °C. Other regions also faced lower temperatures, with Belgium reporting a significant decline of 7.7 °C and Italy seeing a minor decrease of just 1.0 °C.
Looking ahead to the week of December 29, forecasts from AleaSoft Energy Forecasting suggest a rebound in electricity demand for Germany, Spain, the UK, Belgium, and France as they move past the holiday lull. However, Italy and Portugal are expected to continue facing lower consumption levels during this period.
