Spanish Gas Demand Stable in 2018

Spanish gas grid operator Enagas said December 28 that national demand for gas grew in 2018, except for power generation.

Natural gas demand in Spain in 2018 is provisionally expected to have reached around 350 terawatt-hours of gas (32.5bn m³) – a volume similar to its 2017 level - it said.

Conventional gas demand – excluding use in power generation – increased by 4.4% in 2018 to 287.316 TWh-gas (26.7bn m³), thanks to positive industrial (up 4%), and residential/commercial (up 7%) demand.  Industry accounted for 60% of Spain’s gas demand, said Enagas.

In contrast, use of gas in electricity generation in 2018 was 61.937 TWh-gas (5.8bn m³) – down from 2017 – as there was greater hydro-electric production in 2018, compared to 2017 which was very dry. (In the first eleven months of 2018, gas used in power generation of 5.16bn m³ was down by 19.5% year on year)

Enagas noted that regions where in 2018 overall gas use increased the most are Madrid (+15%) and Cantabria (+13%), along with the relatively small Balearic Islands market (+29%) which first started receiving gas by pipe from mainland Spain in 2009. Enagas also noted that overall Spanish gas demand in 2017 was 9% greater than 2016 levels.

Portugal's gas system operator REN meanwhile said its Sines LNG import terminal welcomed its 500th ship December 21; Castillo de Merida carried LNG from Qatar and was the 44^th ship to berth in Sines during 2018. The main sources of LNG imported at Sines, Portugal's only terminal, are Nigeria, Qatar, the US and Algeria. (Banner photo, and the one below,  showing Castillo de Merida are courtesy of REN).