The Greek gas transmission system operator DESFA has released data indicating a significant increase in natural gas consumption for the first nine months of 2024, with a rise of 25.16% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 47.65 terawatt hours (TWh). This surge in consumption is primarily driven by large industries and CNG stations, which saw an impressive increase of 87.93%. However, power producers remain the largest consumers, accounting for 69.52% of total domestic demand with 33.13 TWh of the total consumption.
In contrast, consumption from distribution networks decreased by 2.33% to 7.98 TWh, making up 16.75% of total demand. An analysis of entry points reveals a notable shift: the Sidirokastro pipeline has surpassed the Revithoussa LNG terminal, experiencing a remarkable growth of 62.67% compared to the previous year. Volumes from Sidirokastro rose from 16.18 TWh to 26.32 TWh, while imports through the Revithoussa terminal fell by 52.25%. The Nea Messimvria entry point, connected to the TAP pipeline, remained stable at 9.61 TWh, reflecting only a minor decrease of 0.52%.
Overall, total natural gas imports decreased by 7.90%, primarily due to reduced volumes at Revithoussa, where approximately 12.34 TWh were unloaded from 17 LNG carriers from four countries. The United States was the largest supplier, contributing 8.02 TWh, or 64.99% of total LNG imports. Russia followed with 6.27 TWh, marking a significant drop of 54.39% compared to last year, while Norway and Algeria supplied 0.98 TWh and 0.48 TWh, respectively.
Additionally, the LNG Truck Loading service, operational since last year, has provided flexibility for transporting LNG to off-grid areas. This year, 174 LNG trucks delivered 7,787 cubic meters of LNG, equivalent to 51,278.15 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy. Despite the overall increase in consumption, the total quantity transported through the National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGTS) decreased by 8.14%, from 52.59 TWh in 2023 to 48.31 TWh, largely due to a 95.45% drop in natural gas exports via the NNGTS, which fell to 0.66 TWh from 14.52 TWh in 2023.
