Acording to Terna data, In July 2024, Italy saw a 4.5% increase in electrical consumption compared to the same month last year, reaching a total demand of 31.3 billion kWh (31,300,000 MWh). This marks the highest July consumption figure since 2015. The positive change fully recovers from the 3.4% decline observed in July 2023, partly due to two additional working days (23 compared to 21 in July 2023) and a notable weather anomaly: the last week of the month had temperatures 3°C higher than the previous year.

Despite the extreme heat, energy adequacy margins remained positive. The highest demand peak, approximately 57.9 GW, was recorded on July 19 between 2 and 3 PM. Adjusted for calendar effects and temperature, the demand variation stands at +2.6% compared to July 2023. Regional variations were significant: the North and Central regions experienced increases of 7.4% and 3.3%, respectively, while the South and the Islands showed almost no change (-0.3%).

Sustainable growth and decline in thermoelectric production

In the first seven months of 2024, national energy demand grew by 1.7% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, thermoelectric production decreased by 6.5% compared to July 2023, with a dramatic reduction in coal-based production (-74.8%). Renewable energy sources covered 44.2% of electricity demand, up from 38.1% the previous year. Notably, hydro and photovoltaic sources experienced double-digit growth, with increases of 38.7% and 22.4%, respectively.

From January to July 2024, renewable capacity installed increased by approximately 4.3 GW, with 3.85 GW of that coming from the photovoltaic sector alone. This growth offset decreases in wind (-11.6%) and thermal production. The total renewable capacity in operation rose by 4,282 MW, a 39% increase compared to the same period last year.