Spanish Gas Use Much Higher in February
Spain used about a sixth more gas last month than in February 2016, as low temperatures pushed demand up to 34.1 terawatt-hours (3.17bn m3), said gas system operator Enagas February 28.
Industrial demand, up 6.4% year on year, reached almost 17.3 TWh in February, a monthly figure that has gone up steadily since May 2016, in line with the improving economy.
Homes and businesses used a third more, or 11.3 TWh in February, while use by power generators grew by just over a quarter (26.9%) to 4.5 TWh on strong electricity demand. Both figures were highly influenced by the colder than usual temperatures. The remaining 1 TWh is understood to have been used as a direct feedstock in chemicals and other process industries.
Enagas said recently that Spain’s gas consumption grew by 9% in full year 2017, the third consecutive year of its growth. By contrast a milder than average January 2018 saw a 7.5% year on year drop in Spanish gas demand year on year, with power generators down a fifth and by the rest of the economy down by 5%.
Enagas reported February 20 it made a net 2017 profit of €490.8mn ($598m).