Portugal’s renewable power generation hit record level in 2023

LISBON: Portugal obtained a record quantity of its electricity from clean sources in 2023, with renewables accounting for 61 percent of power use, national grid operator REN said on Tuesday. Wind provided 25 percent of the electricity consumed in Portugal last year, ahead of hydropower (23 percent), solar photovoltaic (7.0 percent) and biomass (6.0 percent), REN said.

The strongest growth was in hydropower. Output rose 70 percent as the sector bounced back from the 2022 drought. Photovoltaic rose 43 percent on the back of growing instalments of solar panels.

Although Portuguese electricity demand last year hit its highest level since 2018, only 19 percent of its consumption was met by non-renewable domestic generation. As a result, the country’s natural gas imports, which come mostly by LNG tanker from Nigeria and the United States, fell 21 percent last year. A further 20 percent of Portugal electricity use last year was met by imports, mostly from Spain. Portugal is aiming to generate 85 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It hopes to decommission all of its natural gas-fired power stations by 2040 and become carbon neutral by 2045 - five years earlier than its original commitment. In October, renewable energy generated 67 per cent of the country’s power needs, mostly due to favorable conditions for hydropower and wind power, according to REN. Wind alone had a historic high last month in Portugal, breaking a record for how much energy it produced in one day.

Since the beginning of the year, renewables have satisfied 56 per cent of the country’s energy requirements. Wind made up 24 per cent of that, hydropower 18 per cent, solar power 8 per cent and biomass 6 per cent. Natural (or fossil) gas produced 21 per cent of Portugal’s energy and the remaining 23 per cent was imported from other countries.