Renewable energy production supplied 87% of the electricity consumed in Portugal in November. Favourable conditions for hydro and wind power production explain this increase, which is the second highest figure of the year, second only to the 88% recorded in January.

The figure, published today by REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais, is much higher than the 67% recorded in October. According to REN, the company that manages the electricity system, non-renewable energies only accounted for 13% of electricity consumption, while the trade balance with foreign countries was slightly exporting, equivalent to around 2% of national consumption.

November was a very favourable month for hydro and wind power production. The former recorded a producibility index of 2.02 (historical average of 1), the third highest value in REN records for this month (records go back to 1971). Also in hydroelectric power, 5 November saw a new all-time high in power delivered to the grid, with 6,719 megawatts (MW), compared to 6,569 MW in January this year. In wind energy, the monthly index stood at 1.04, while in photovoltaics it was 0.92.

59% of renewable energies since the beginning of the year

In the period from January to November, REN indicates that the productivity indices associated with renewable energies "are close to average values", with hydroelectric registering 0.98 and wind and solar both with 1.01.

“From the beginning of the year until the end of November, renewable production supplied around 59% of consumption, broken down into wind with 25%, hydro with 21%, photovoltaic with 7% and biomass with 6%,” he explained.

Natural gas production supplied 20% of consumption and the balance of imports also accounted for 20%. In the natural gas market, the downward trend continues, with an overall year-on-year variation of -31% in November.