In the period August 2022-March 2023, natural gas consumption fell by 17.7% compared to the same months between 2017 and 2022, according to a Eurostat publication released on 19 April. This exceeds the 15% coordinated demand reduction target set by the REPowerEU plan to end European dependence on Russian fossil fuels (see EUROPE 13151/2).
“For anyone who turned down their thermostat 1°C, put on an extra jumper or jumped out of the shower a minute early – you made a big difference. You saved 50 billion cubic metres of gas this winter”, Tim McPhie, the European Commission’s spokesman for climate action and energy, said on Twitter.
The countries that saw their consumption fall the most were Finland (-55.7%), Lithuania (-40.5%) and Sweden (-37.2%).
Only a minority of countries failed to meet the 15% reduction target: Ireland (-0.2%), Slovakia (-1.0%), Spain (-10.8%), Poland (-12.5%), Slovenia (-13.8%) and Belgium (-14.5%) as well as Malta (the smallest gas consumer of all EU gas users), which recorded a 12.7% increase in consumption. To see the Eurostat publication: https://aeur.eu/f/6ep (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)