- In the first quarter of 2023, the total demand for natural gas (domestic consumption and exports) in Greece decreased by 15.29% compared to the corresponding period last year
- Domestic consumption of natural gas decreased by 33.92% compared to the previous year
- Revithoussa LNG Terminal (Agia Triada entry point) remained the main entry gate for natural gas in the country, covering the majority (54.96%) of total natural gas imports
- Exports remained at high levels and reached approximately 5.68 TWh, more than doubling (+120.05%) compared to the first quarter of 2022
The total demand for natural gas in Greece decreased compared to last year, according to DESFA data for the first quarter of 2023, with the Revithoussa LNG Terminal (Agia Triada entry point) being the country's main natural gas entry gate in the specific period, followed by Nea Mesimvria (TAP pipeline entry point), while Sidirokastro fell to the third place of the total imports to the NNGTS.
According to DESFA data, during the period January – March 2023, the domestic consumption of natural gas decreased significantly by 33.92%, reaching 12.39 Terawatt hours (TWh), from 18.74 TWh in the corresponding period last year. Exports remained at high levels and amounted to approximately 5.68 TWh, marking a more than double increase (+120.05%) compared to the corresponding quantity in the first quarter of 2022 (2.58 TWh), a quantity which represents almost a third ( 31.32%) of the total traded quantity.
Concerning the quantities of natural gas imported into the country, the Revithoussa LNG Terminal (Agia Triada entry point) covered over half (54.96%) of the total imports. In particular, approximately 9.51 TWh of LNG were unloaded from 13 LNG carriers coming from 5 different countries. More than 40% of these LNG quantities (41.82%) came from the USA, which reached 3.98 TWh, compared to 4.11 TWh in the same period last year. In second place were imports from Egypt (2.51 TWh), followed by Algeria (1.46 TWh), Russia (1.05 TWh) and Spain (0.51 TWh).
Regarding the contribution of the remaining entry points, the entry point in Nea Mesimvria, through which gas transported by the TAP pipeline is delivered, covered 21.60% of imports (3.90 TWh). It was followed by the entry point of Sidirokastro (3.39 TWh), which amounted to only 18.78% of the total imports, recording a significant decrease of 56.71% compared to the first quarter of 2022, as well as Kipi of Evros (Greek-Turkish borders) which covered 6.60% of imports (0.50 TWh).
In terms of natural gas consumer categories, power producers continue to record the highest consumption, covering 56.09% of domestic demand with 6.95 TWh out of a total of 12.39 TWh consumed. A slight increase of 1.93%, compared to the first quarter of 2022, was recorded in the consumption of natural gas by industries and CNG vehicle refueling stations, directly connected to the NNGTS, which amounted to 0.74 TWh, a quantity corresponding to almost 5.97% of domestic demand. Consumption from the distribution networks during the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 4.70 TWh, covering 37.94% of the total demand.
DESFA’s infrastructure contributed substantially to the diversification of natural gas supply sources and to the strengthening of the security of supply level both in Greece and in the wider region. The liberalization of the energy market and the regulated Third-Party Access TPA, under which DESFA provides access to the NNGS, strengthens competition among natural gas suppliers for the benefit of end consumers. Third Party Access (TPA) is governed by the provisions of European Union and national law, ensuring open access to any interested party.
