Solar power was the leading source of electricity generation in Portugal for the first time in July, marking a milestone for the country’s power system, according to the latest market statistics and energy consumption data.

Renewable energy sources supplied 53% of Portugal’s electricity consumption during the month. Solar accounted for the largest share at 19%, followed by hydropower with 16%, wind with 13% and biomass with 5%. Non-renewable generation provided 13% of electricity consumption, while the remaining 34% was met through electricity imports.

Among renewable technologies, the productivity index reached 0.89 for solar, 1.26 for hydropower and 0.71 for wind during July.

Looking at the first seven months of the year, renewable generation covered 68% of Portugal’s electricity consumption. Hydropower represented 27% of total consumption, followed by wind at 24%, solar photovoltaics at 12% and biomass at 5%. Natural gas-fired generation accounted for 14%, while imported electricity supplied the remaining 18%.

Over the January–July period, the productivity index stood at 1.19 for hydropower, 1.00 for wind and 0.83 for solar.

Electricity demand continued its upward trend in July, increasing by 3% year on year. After adjusting for temperature and the number of working days, the increase was 1.8%. Cumulative electricity consumption for the first seven months of the year rose by 3.5% compared with the same period a year earlier, or 3.1% after the same adjustments.

In the natural gas market, total consumption fell by 7.3% year on year in July, driven by a 20% decline in gas use for electricity generation. By contrast, consumption in the conventional segment, which includes all other consumers, increased slightly by 0.1%.

During the month, the Sines LNG terminal met the Portuguese gas system’s entire supply requirements. Around two-thirds of imported liquefied natural gas originated from Nigeria, while the remaining third came from the United States.

For the first seven months of the year, cumulative natural gas consumption increased by 4.1%. This reflected a 14% rise in demand from the electricity generation segment and a 0.3% increase in the conventional market. Nigeria and the United States remained Portugal’s main natural gas suppliers, accounting for 53% and 33% of total gas consumed, respectively.