Increase in Electricity and Gas Consumption in February
Electricity consumption reached 5.75 TWh, which was 7.4 percent higher than in February 2024. The increase in gas consumption was even more significant: The amount of gas delivered to end consumers totaled 10.76 TWh, rising by 46.3 percent compared to February of the previous year, as announced by the energy regulatory authority E-Control.
Electricity Imports Significantly Increased in February
The increased electricity consumption was met with lower domestic electricity production: This fell to 5.85 TWh in February, a decrease of 5.9 percent compared to the previous year. In particular, production from renewable energy sources declined sharply: Run-of-river power plants generated 42.7 percent less electricity, and wind turbines even 36.4 percent less. There was also a decrease in storage power plants, with a reduction of 5 percent. Only electricity generation from photovoltaics increased significantly (+43.7 percent). To compensate for the decline, thermal power plants were used more intensively, generating about 64.4 percent more electricity than in February 2024. As a result of the decreased domestic production, Austria imported around 2.53 TWh, approximately 40.5 percent more electricity from abroad than in February of the previous year. In contrast, electricity exports fell by 5.5 percent to 1.82 TWh.
Increase in Heating Degree Days Leads to Higher Gas Consumption
The sharp increase in gas consumption is partly due to cooler temperatures. The number of heating degree days rose from 309.2 in February 2024 to 495.3 in February 2025. Domestic gas production (including biogenic gases) decreased by 5.4 percent to 0.47 TWh. At the same time, the storage level decreased significantly: With 14.3 TWh, about 10 TWh more gas was withdrawn from storage than in the same month of the previous year. The storage content at the end of February was 50.35 TWh, 34.2 percent below the level of February 2024.
(APA/Red)
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