- 4.56% increase in natural gas consumption in Greece in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020
- Significant inflow of natural gas from the new NNGS Entry Point in Nea Messimvria following the interconnection with TAP
- Sidirokastro is the main gas entry gateway of Greece in the first quarter of 2021
- Electricity producers covered 53% of domestic gas consumption – Increased demand by industries & CNG
The increasing trend in gas consumption in Greece continues, according to DESFA’s data for the first quarter of 2021, with the new entry point in Nea Messimvria contributing significantly to gas inflow in the NNGS, following its interconnection with TAP at the beginning of the year.
According to DESFA data for the period January – March 2021, domestic gas consumption increased by 4.56%, reaching 17.64 Terawatt hours (TWh), from 16.87 TWh in the corresponding period last year.
Gas imports amounted to 19.16 TWh, showing a decrease from 19.82 TWh in the first quarter of 2020. The largest quantities entered from the entry point of Sidirokastro (8.9 TWh), which covered 46.57% of imports, recording a significant increase compared to the first quarter of 2020. It was followed by the LNG Terminal of Revithoussa (Agia Triada entry point), which covered 30.37% of imports (5.82 TWh).
In the third place was for the first time the new entry point in Nea Messimvria, which, following the interconnection with TAP, covered 18.12% of imports within its first quarter of operation, with more than 3.47 TWh, while finally, more than 0.94 TWh (4.94%) were imported in the NNGS from the interconnection point in Kipoi, Evros.
Regarding the categories of gas consumers, the highest consumption is steadily recorded by electricity producers with 9.31 TWh, covering 52.78% of demand. The consumption of households and businesses through distribution networks is also increased compared to the first quarter of 2020, with 5.44 TWh, which corresponds to approximately 31% of demand. Domestic industries and CNG recorded a consumption of 2.89 TWh, covering 16.39% of demand.
Beyond domestic consumption, 7.76% of total demand for the first quarter of this year was related to natural gas exports to Bulgaria from the Sidirokastro interconnection point. More specifically, exports to Bulgaria amounted to about 1.48 TWh, a quantity significantly lower than that exported in the corresponding period of 2020, with the decrease being attributed to the return of prices for LNG to higher levels compared to the first quarter of last year.
As far as LNG imports are concerned, in the period January-March 2021, approximately 5.43 TWh from 9 vessels were unloaded at the Revithoussa LNG Terminal compared to about 10.78 TWh from 15 vessels in the corresponding period of the previous year. The decrease mainly concerns LNG cargos from the US and Qatar, while imports from Algeria increased significantly, with 2.47 TWh of LNG compared to about 0.98 TWh imported in the same period last year. An increase of 10.84% compared to the first quarter of last year was recorded for LNG imports from Egypt, which in the first quarter of this year reached 0.92 TWh. As a result, during the period January – March 2021, Algeria was the largest importer of LNG in Greece, covering 45% of total LNG imports. The USA followed with 21% of the total quantities imported, while Egypt and Qatar recorded a share of 17% each.
DESFA’s infrastructure continues to contribute substantially to the diversification of gas supply sources and security of supply. Finally, the liberalization of the energy market and the Third-Party Access TPA, under which DESFA operates, strengthens price competition. Third-party access (TPA) is governed by the provisions of European Union and national law, ensuring open access to any interested party.
