Spanish natural gas consumption in December increased by 3.4% when compared to the same month last year, according to LNG terminal operator Enagas.
Specifically, conventional demand, for household, commercial and industrial consumption, rose by 5% compared to December of the previous year, reaching 29.7 TWh.
Enagas attributed the rise to a recovery in industrial demand compared to the values reached during the Covid-19 lockdown months in addition to the cold temperatures at the end of the month.
Furthermore, total demand for natural gas in Spain this year reached 360.0 TWh, 3.1% more than the figure recorded in 2018.
Compared to 2019, when demand grew by 14% due to high deliveries of natural gas for electricity generation, total demand stands at 90.4%, Enagas said.
As we approach the end of 2020, conventional demand, which represents around 75% of the total Spanish demand, reached around 94% compared to pre-pandemic figures.
This consumption fell during lockdown that started mid-March, dropping to 73% on certain days in April compared to the same days last year, the firm said.
Additionally, Enagas said its 12,000 km long network of gas pipelines and 19 compressor stations operated with 100% technical and commercial availability during the year.
The contracted capacity of the storage facilities also reached historical highs, it said.
