Power grid

Energy Imports up; Business Consumes Less

The water situation in 2024 has not been as positive as the one in the previous year, resulting in lower energy production. 
Data from the energy balance, published by INSTAT, show that there was an increase in the share of imports in the second quarter of the year by 75.2%. According to the release during the second quarter of 2024, the available electricity decreased by 2.2%. 
The net domestic production of electricity in this period decreased by 18.9%, reaching the value of 1,841 GWh from 2,269 GWh of energy produced in the second quarter of 2023. This production was realized by public hydropower plants to the extent of 44.6%, by private and concessionary hydropower plants to the extent of 48.6%, and by other producers (Photovoltaics) to the extent of 6.8% of the net domestic electricity production. 
The gross import of electricity in the second quarter of 2024 reached the value of 623 GWh from 355 GWh which was in the same period of the previous year, marking an increase of 75.2%. The gross export of electricity (energy in delivery) reached the value of 665 GWh from 786 GWh, marking a decrease of 15.4%. 
The decline in energy production has been noticed in both public and private hydropower plants. Specifically, public hydropower plants, in the second quarter of 2024, produced 821 GWh from the 1,186 GWh produced in the second quarter of 2023, thus marking a 30.8% drop in production. 
Private and concessionary hydropower plants produced 895 GWh from 1,057 GWh produced in the same period a year ago, marking a decrease in electricity production by 15.3%. 
The exchange of electricity (difference between export and gross import of energy), in the second quarter of 2024 has reached a positive value of 43 GWh, while in the second quarter of 2023, there was also a positive value of 431 GWh. 
What is noticed is a decrease in network losses, both in terms of technical ones and those classified as non-technical. 
The losses in the network reached the value of 323 GWh from 359 GWh, thus marking a decrease of 10.0%. Transmission losses have decreased by 17.2%, while distribution losses have also decreased by 8.6%. 
Technical losses in distribution have decreased by 7.5%, while non-technical losses in distribution have decreased by 11.2%, compared to the second quarter of 2023. 
The second quarter seems to have been defined by less intense economic activity for businesses compared to a year ago, as the use of energy from this segment has registered a decline. 
The use of electricity by consumers, in the second quarter of 2024, decreased by 0.3% reaching the value of 1,475 GWh from 1,479 GWh that was in the second quarter of 2023. 
In the decline in the use of electricity by consumers, non-household consumers have been influenced, where we have a decrease in electricity consumption by 2.3%, while the energy consumed by household consumers has increased by 2.1%.