Electricity demand declined across most major European power markets during the week of September 21 compared with the previous week. Italy recorded the largest decrease, at 3.7%, followed by Belgium, where demand fell by 3.5%. Germany saw demand decline by 2.2% after four consecutive weeks of growth, while France and Spain recorded smaller decreases of 0.9% and 0.2%, respectively. Italy, France and Spain therefore extended their downward trends to a third consecutive week.
Great Britain and Portugal were the main exceptions, with electricity demand increasing in both markets. Demand in Great Britain rose by 5.3%, recovering from the decline recorded in the previous week. Portugal recorded a 1.2% increase, marking its fourth consecutive weekly rise.
Average temperatures decreased across most of the analyzed markets during the week. Germany recorded the sharpest decline, at 3.1°C, followed by Italy with a 2.1°C drop and Belgium with a 1.9°C decrease. Average temperatures in France and Great Britain both fell by 0.8°C.
Portugal and Spain recorded the opposite trend, with average temperatures increasing by 1.2°C and 0.8°C, respectively. The contrasting temperature patterns coincided with differing electricity demand trends across the markets.
For the week of September 28, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting expects electricity demand to increase in Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium and France. In contrast, demand is forecast to decline in Italy, Spain and Germany.
The diverging demand patterns highlight the influence of temperature changes and market-specific consumption trends as European electricity markets transition further into the autumn season, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting, AleaSoft reports.
