energy
Forecast: Energy consumption falls to new lows
According to projections, Germany will consume less energy in 2024 than ever since reunification. However, fossil fuels continue to dominate by a wide margin.
Energy consumption in Germany is expected to reach a new low this year, mainly due to the economic weakness. This emerges from a forecast from the Energy Balances Working Group (AGEB), which has been collecting energy data since reunification in 1990, and which was available to the German Press Agency in advance. Accordingly, the AGEB expects a further decline in consumption of around 1.7 percent to 10,453 petajoules (PJ) compared to the previous year. This means that energy consumption would be almost 30 percent lower than in 1990, when 14,905 petajoules were reached – the highest level since then.
In the unit of watt hours, the forecast amount of energy corresponds to around 2904 terawatt hours. To put it into perspective: According to the Federal Statistical Office, 450 terawatt hours of electricity were generated and fed into the grid in Germany in the entire year of 2023.
Statistician: Stagnating economy is the main reason for the decline in consumption
“The stagnating economy played a significant role in the decline in energy consumption this year,” it said. Significant declines in production in the manufacturing and processing industries have not been offset by the recent increase in energy demand in energy-intensive industries.
In the first three quarters, oil and gas remained by far the most important energy sources. Mineral oil products accounted for a good 37 percent of primary energy consumption, and natural gas accounted for 25 percent. Brown coal and hard coal together accounted for almost 15 percent, and renewable energies accounted for a good 20 percent. The remaining shares consist primarily of electricity imports and electricity generated through waste incineration.
AGEB: Electricity import surplus does not mean dependence or scarcity
In the first nine months, 19.6 terawatt hours more electricity was purchased from abroad than flowed abroad from Germany. “The current import surplus is a sign of a functioning European internal market,” emphasized the AG Energy Balances. “Higher electricity imports neither mean dependence on other European countries nor do they indicate domestic shortages.”
Members of the Energy Balances Working Group include three business associations and five institutes that are involved in energy economic research.
dpa
Source: Stern
