Demand for gas fell by 8 per cent in June compared with the same month a year ago, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The weather played a part in the reduction of gas usage, the CSO said, with 12 days hitting 20 degrees, according to readings taken at Dublin Airport. The average temperature for the month was 17.8 degrees.
“Total metered gas demand in June 2024 was 3,697 gigawatt hours (GWh), which was 8 per cent lower than the June 2023 figure of 4,035 GWh,” said Deirdre Moran, statistician in the climate and energy division in the CSO.
Gas imported from abroad made up 79 per cent of the total metered supply in June this year while indigenous gas from places such as the Corrib gasfield accounted for the remaining 21 per cent.
Demand for gas by power plants across the country dropped by 15 per cent in June compared to the same month last year.
Ms Moran said that power plants “accounted for 71 per cent of total gas demand, down from 76 per cent of total demand in June 2023″.
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Imported natural gas was 2 per cent lower in June this year compared with the same month last year and indigenous gas production dropped by 25 per cent compared to June 2023.
However, since January 2018, the State has been using more imported gas while indigenous gas has been on a downward trend.
Looking at the first half of the year, indigenous production of gas dropped by 13.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, imports of natural gas were marginally higher by 0.5 per cent compared with the first 6 months of 2023.
Power plants around the State have dropped their gas demand by 11.5 per cent when comparing the 12-month continuous period between July 2023-June 2024 with July 2022-June 2023.
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