Greece’s transition to green energy could increase its gas consumption, which could rise by 2.5 to 3 billion cubic meters per year in mid-term, according to market projections.
Experts expect that total gas consumption in 2020 will reach 6 billion cubic meters, which is significantly higher than in 2019, but also expect that the consumption will stabilize at this year’s level in 2021.
Gas-fired electricity generation is a key factor in the expected increase of gas consumption as the withdrawal of lignite-fired power plants should increase the share of natural gas in Greek energy mix to between 30 and 40 %.
However, the rise in gas consumption in short-term will greatly depend on the number of new gas-fired power plants to be introduced. For example, a gas-consumption increase of as much as 1.5 billion cubic meters per year is expected if three gas-fired power units with respective capacities of 800 MW are introduced to the system. Exports are expected to add a further 1 billion cubic meters of gas to the market’s size, while small-scale expansion covering the shipping sector and needs of detached areas should add another 500 million cubic meters to consumption.
