In November, Austria consumed 4,898 GWh (gigawatt hours), about four percent less than the average over the past five years. However, compared to October (4435 GWh), electricity consumption increased by about ten percent.
According to Gerhard Christiner, CTO at APG, this is a typical development: “Temperatures are falling and power consumption is increasing. This is a trend that we see every winter. Still, it is very gratifying that Austria, after about five percent in October, is in November consumed about four percent less electricity than the average of the past five years, and every kilowatt-hour that is not consumed helps to effectively prevent a possible power shortage.”
With increasing power consumption, the lack of network capacity is also becoming more apparent. With the growth and increasing integration of renewable energy sources and the increasing electrification of business, industry and society, the demands on the power grid are constantly increasing. The existing network infrastructure does not have the necessary capacity for this.
Redispatch measures cost 84 million euros
Regular redispatch measures must already be taken now to avoid bottlenecks in the electricity grid and to secure the country’s power supply. High line loads are countered by targeted interventions in the use of thermal and hydraulic power plants. “In November alone, such interventions were required for 25 days. This entails costs that the electricity customer ultimately has to pay.” At the end of the month, this amounted to around 84 million euros.
Share of renewable energy in electricity coverage 53 percent
Electricity generation from renewable energy sources was only able to cover about 53 percent of domestic electricity consumption in November. In particular, production from hydropower has fallen sharply. Compared to the previous month, there was a decrease of about 28 percent.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
