Euskadi Energy Report 2023

  • The total demand for energy has fallen a little. Natural gas was the energy that experienced the biggest decline.
  • Energy intensity has improved by 8 points, i.e. the energy needed to generate a unit of GDP.
  • The presence of renewable energy is considerably increased by new solar photovoltaic installations.
  • The energy bill has fallen, particularly in households.

The latest report on the energy situation of the Basque Energy Agency in the Basque Country in  2023 indicates that energy consumption in the CAPV tends to decrease in relation to energy efficiency policies and reduction of natural gas consumption. In addition, renewable installed power is increasing a lot. 
 
The energy situation of the CAPV keeps the consumption path down. Global energy demand is partly reduced and at the same time energy intensity is improved, i.e. less energy is needed to create a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) unit. In 2023, this index improved by 8 points compared to 2022. Energy efficiency policies, particularly in the industrial sector, thus produce positive results in terms of reducing energy consumption and contribute to the competitiveness of all industrial production sectors. 
 
 
In general terms, energy demand in the Basque Country decreased by more than 10%. Natural gas was the energy that experienced the greatest decrease, mainly due to the low electricity generation in the combined cycles of the Basque Country due to the market situation of the state electricity system and the lower consumption of cogeneration. As for final consumption, although all the energies reduced their consumption, natural gas is the one that most decreased. In this case it was mainly due to the decrease in consumption in the Basque industrial sector.
 
On the other hand, the use of renewable energies decreased by the reduction in the production of hydro and wind energy. In fact, these natural resources (both water and wind) have been less abundant throughout the year and, in addition, biomass has decreased, especially in relation to industrial use. On the contrary, the growth of the solar photovoltaic energy sector is noteworthy, as the installed power increased by 46 MW and maintains the tendency to increase the number of installations launched in the Basque Country.
 
Oil represents the majority of the energy mix, with transport being the most consumed (47.9% of the total). Natural gas accounts for 29.7% of the needs, followed by electricity (13%) and renewable energy (8.7%). 

By sector, the industrial and housing sectors experience a sharp decline in consumption (-14% and -11%, respectively), while transport, despite its limitation, also decreases (-2.1%). However, it is the most consumed sector in the CAPV (47%), with a strong dependence on oil derivatives (74%), followed by industry (34%), housing (11%) and services (8%).
 
Energy bill
The amount of the energy bill has been significantly reduced following strong growth in 2022. The energy cost for the Basque Country in 2023 has exceeded 7,000 million euros in this regard, of which more than 55% corresponds to transport, 23% to industry, 1% to housing, 10% to services and 1% to the primary sector. The invoice paid by households was reduced by 29% compared to the previous year.
 


Euskadi Energia 2023