During the week of January 20, electricity demand decreased across most major European markets compared to the previous week. The French market saw the largest drop in demand, with a decrease of 11%, while the British market experienced the smallest decline at just 1.3%. Other markets, including Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands, all saw demand fall between 1.5% (Italy) and 5.2% (Netherlands). However, the Portuguese market was an exception, showing a slight increase of 0.4% in demand compared to the week of January 13.
While most markets experienced a downward shift in demand trends, the British market continued its downward trajectory for the second consecutive week, and the Portuguese market maintained its upward trend for the fourth week in a row. This drop in demand across most markets coincided with a rise in average temperatures, which were warmer than the previous week in many countries. Average temperature increases ranged from 1.5°C in the Netherlands to 4.7°C in Spain, leading to lower heating needs and subsequently lower electricity consumption. However, the British market was an exception, with temperatures dropping by 1.0°C compared to the previous week, contributing to the slight increase in demand.
Looking ahead to the last week of January, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s demand predictions show a mixed outlook. Demand is expected to rise in the German, British, Spanish, and Dutch markets, while it is forecast to decrease in France, Portugal, Belgium and Italy, AleaSoft reports.