In the final week of June, electricity demand rose across major European power markets versus the previous week. Italy posted the strongest increase at 10%, followed by France at 9.9% and Belgium at 7.3%. Portugal recorded a marginal rise of 0.1%. Spain, Great Britain, and Germany also reported weekly gains ranging from 3.1% in Spain to 6.0% in Germany.
Great Britain continued to build on an upward pattern for a second consecutive week. Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, and Belgium extended their demand growth streaks to a third week. Spain recorded a sixth consecutive weekly increase in electricity demand.
Temperature increases across analyzed markets
Average temperatures increased across all analyzed markets during the same period. Germany saw the largest temperature rise at 5.2°C, while Portugal experienced the smallest increase at 0.7°C. In Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, and Great Britain, temperature gains ranged between 1.1°C and 4.7°C. The UK recorded one of the stronger warmings within that range.
Heatwave conditions during mid-to-late June
The temperature movement coincided with heatwave conditions across much of Europe. France, Italy, Belgium, and Germany were affected during the second half of June. Spain experienced a heatwave between June 21 and June 24. Great Britain faced an intense heat episode between June 24 and June 28, particularly in England and Wales.
In Portugal, persistently high temperatures supported demand growth during the period covered by the data. The increase remained more moderate than in several other markets included in the comparison.
AleaSoft outlook for early July demand
For the first week of July, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting expects electricity demand to decline in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, and Great Britain. The forecast also points to continued demand growth in Portugal. AleaSoft attributed Portugal’s expected increase to ongoing high temperatures.