Record consumption of natural gas in Northern Macedonia was achieved during the previous winter, according to data from the Energy Regulatory Commission (REC) presented in the regular annual report. They show that in the past year, the consumption of natural gas in the country has increased compared to the multi-year average.
Until ten years ago, the annual gas consumption was below 100 million cubic meters, while in 2021 it will reach a maximum of 426 million cubic meters. This is the largest amount of natural gas in the transmission system since the beginning of its operation and represents an increase of 26% compared to 2020, according to the ERO report.
The data show that consumption varied during the year and that natural gas was mostly used for heating.
The cogeneration plant owned by TE-TO AD Skopje has the greatest impact on the consumption profile. In the period from July to September, increased consumption of natural gas was recorded, which is a consequence of the work of TE-TO AD Skopje in these months, while in the winter heating plants are included as large consumers.
In the months when the consumption of natural gas is minimal, only industrial consumers who use natural gas for their technological processes throughout the year work, the report states.
The regulator explains that the transmission network has a nominal capacity of 800 million cubic meters per year and emphasizes that the dynamics of natural gas consumption varies between the winter and summer months. The lowest utilization of the system is in April and May, when it ranges from 5% to 15%, while in the winter months the consumption is much higher and the degree of utilization of the transmission system ranges from 50% to 80% on a daily basis.
The entire amount of natural gas is imported from Russia through the gas pipeline system of Bulgaria.
The report shows that the number of connections to the natural gas transmission system has increased in recent years, starting from 30 connections in 2010 to 61 connections in 2021. Of that number, 54 ports were active.
Source: faktor.mk
