Electricity demand falls 3.7% in first week of energy saving plan
Iberian exception reduces bill by €1.38bn in two months
BarcelonaElectricity demand in Spain fell by 3.7% in the second week of August, the first week in which the Spanish government's energy saving plan was in force. Despite the drop, the energy saved is still less than the 7% reduction the State had committed itself to before the European Union.
On Wednesday, the Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, took stock of the impact of the energy saving plan's measures. Despite not achieving the 7% target, she has made a positive assessment of it, taking into account that there has been "a significant reduction" in electricity consumption "during the heat wave".
In this sense, the minister believes that part of the savings are due to a "higher sensitivity by households and businesses to a responsible use of energy", as well as measures set out in the plan, such as a higher temperature for air conditioners, turning off the lights in shop windows and public buildings at ten o'clock at night.
The Minister also made a positive assessment of the impact of the gas cap on the price of electricity the impact of the gas cap on the price of electricity. The so-called Iberian exception has allowed savings of €1.38bn in two months, according to the minister, about €22m per day. Thus, Ribera explained that while the wholesale market price in Spain today is €235 per MWh, in most European states it is above €500 per MWh.
