Electricity demand declined across most major European power markets during the third week of July compared with the previous week, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting. The report said Italy recorded the sharpest fall, while Germany posted the largest increase. The changes were linked to a mixed temperature pattern across the region.
Weekly demand changes by market
Italy saw weekly electricity demand drop by 10%, the largest decrease among the markets analysed. France followed with a 3.8% decline, and demand in Great Britain fell by 3.7%. Belgium registered a 3.4% decrease, while Portugal recorded a more moderate 2.4% fall.
Germany and Spain were the main exceptions to the broader downward trend. Electricity demand increased by 2.4% in Germany and rose by 1.0% in Spain. These contrasting movements coincided with different temperature developments in the same period.
Temperature shifts alongside demand movements
The report described a mixed temperature picture across Europe during the week. Average temperatures declined in most of the markets analysed, with Great Britain recording the largest weekly decrease of 2.7°C. Temperatures also fell by 1.2°C in France and by 0.9°C in Portugal.
Spain and Belgium recorded more moderate temperature declines of 0.4°C. In contrast, average temperatures increased in both Italy and Germany, with rises of 1.5°C in Italy and 0.7°C in Germany. The report said this contributed to divergent demand trends between the two countries.
AleaSoft outlook for the fourth week of July
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting expects electricity demand to increase in Italy and Portugal for the fourth week of July. For the same period, it forecast declines in Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, and Great Britain. The company attributed the differing outlook to ongoing temperature trends and summer seasonal conditions affecting cooling demand.