EU Gas Consumption Drops Despite Heat-Driven Power Demand Increase

Natural gas consumption in the European Union fell by 0.6% year-on-year to 17.4 billion cubic meters (bcm) in July, mainly due to weaker demand from the industrial and residential sectors.

The decline was largely linked to the start of the holiday season, which reduced industrial gas use, while residential demand remained subdued due to seasonal factors.

However, gas consumption for power generation edged up as a heatwave across much of Western Europe boosted electricity demand for cooling.

The increase was limited by stronger renewable generation, particularly from wind and solar. EU electricity generation rose 3.6% year-on-year to 216 terawatt-hours (TWh) in July.