Weak economy and mild weather: energy consumption falls
Germany consumed less energy in the first half of the year than in the previous year. Fossil fuels continue to dominate.
Above the Bremen-Hastedt power station.
(Image: heise online / anw)
In the first half of the year, 5428 petajoules (PJ) of energy were consumed in Germany. According to preliminary calculations by the Working Group on Energy Balances (AGEB), the equivalent of 185.2 million tons of coal equivalent (MTCE) or 1508 terawatt hours means 3.4% less consumption than in the same period of the previous year.
AGEB analyzes that around half of the decline is due to the milder weather. Adjusted for the effect of the weather, energy consumption would have fallen by around 1.5 percent. The additional day on February 29 probably increased consumption, but the economy was subdued.
Oil and gas the most important energy sources
Among the energy sources, mineral oil accounted for the largest share of primary energy consumption from January to June at 35.3%. Natural gas accounted for 27.1 percent, hard coal for 7.4 percent and lignite for 7.0 percent. Fossil fuels therefore accounted for a total of 76.8%. In the first half of 2023, this figure was 77.2 percent.
Renewable energies accounted for around 20.7% from January to June 2024 compared to 19.8% in the first half of 2023. The remaining shares are primarily made up of electricity imports and electricity generated by waste incineration.
In the first half of 2024, 8.6 billion kWh (31 PJ) more electricity was purchased from abroad than flowed abroad from Germany. In the first half of 2023, there was still an export surplus of 2.9 billion kWh (10 PJ).
Changes in the structure of energy consumption
The statisticians spoke of "clearly recognizable changes in the structure of energy consumption". In particular, the further decline in coal use is likely to have led to a reduction in COâ‚‚ emissions of 17 million tons in the first half of the year. According to the German government, a total of around 673 million tons of greenhouse gases were released in Germany in 2023.
Hard coal consumption fell by a total of 18.7% in the first six months, as did lignite consumption. Electricity generation from hard coal fell by almost 42% as a result of an overall decrease in electricity generation, an increase in electricity production from renewable energies and higher electricity purchases from neighboring countries. Sales to the iron and steel industry increased by 2.7% due to the rise in pig iron production. Electricity generation from lignite fell by 17.2 percent in the first half of the current year.
The members of the Working Group on Energy Balances are four trade associations and four institutes involved in energy industry research.
(anw)
