In November (calendar weeks 44 - 47), 4,898 GWh (gigawatt hours) of electricity were consumed in Austria. Compared with the previous month (4,435 GWh), electricity consumption increased by around ten percent. According to Gerhard Christiner, CTO of APG, this is a typical development: "Temperatures are falling and electricity consumption is rising. This is a trend that we can observe every year in winter. Nevertheless, it is particularly positive that Austria, having already reduced electricity consumption by around five percent in October, also consumed around four percent less electricity in November compared to the average of the past five years. To make it through the winter without any problems, however, saving electricity must remain the order of the day. Every kilowatt hour that is not consumed helps to effectively prevent a potential power shortage."
Tips on saving electricity can be found at apg.at/stromspartipps/ or on the Climate Ministry's page mission11.at/.
Interventions in the grid necessary on 25 days in November
As electricity consumption increases, the lack of grid capacity is once again becoming more apparent. With the expansion and increased integration of renewable energy sources as well as the increasing electrification of businesses, industry and society, the demands on the power grid are also continuously increasing. The existing grid infrastructure does not have the necessary capacity to meet these challenges. Redispatch measures already have to be taken regularly to avoid bottlenecks in the power grid and ensure Austria’s security of supply. This involves counteracting high line loads through targeted intervention in the use of thermal and hydraulic power plants.
"In November alone, such interventions were necessary on 25 days. This causes costs that ultimately have to be paid by the electricity customer. At the end of the month, the costs triggered by redispatch measures in 2022 for the Austrian electricity customer amounted to around 84 million euros. A high-performance power grid with sufficient capacities would significantly reduce the need for redispatch measures and cut related costs. The immediate expansion of the grid infrastructure is therefore a top priority," emphasizes Thomas Karall, CFO of APG.
The current developments in electricity and energy prices as well as the geopolitical developments in Ukraine show how important a rapid and secure transformation to a sustainable energy system is. This requires immediate overall system planning, adequate capacities in the areas of grids, storage, production and comprehensive digitization to exploit the flexibilities of all players in the system. All of this must be done immediately. Accelerating and simplifying approval procedures are key levers in this context. With its investment program of around 3.5 billion euros for the expansion of the electricity infrastructure, APG is ensuring that Austria's transmission grid is made fit for a successful energy transition and the sustainable security of supply for all Austrians.
Renewables share of electricity supply 53 percent
In November, electricity generation from renewable sources was only able to cover around 53 percent of domestic electricity consumption (on the balance sheet). Production from hydropower in particular decreased sharply with a drop of approximately 28 percent in comparison with the previous month.
The low coverage of electricity consumption by renewables meant that Austria was also heavily dependent on electricity imports from abroad in November. Approximately 1,367 GWh of electricity had to be imported.
Energy exchange within Austria
APG's trans-regional electricity grid is essential for Austria's security of supply. Via the respective distribution grids, the provinces can feed surplus electricity into the APG grid and thus make it available throughout Austria. If a province has not enough electricity, it can obtain the required electricity from the APG grid.
The provinces with the largest feed-in to the APG grid in November were Tyrol (127 GWh) and Vorarlberg (121 GWh), while, for example, the "industrial province" of Styria (327 GWh) and Carinthia (273 GWh) had to withdraw the most electricity from the grid in November.
APG continually keeps track of the development of the domestic electricity industry and regularly publishes diagrams at https://www.apg.at/infografiken regarding the topics: energy exchange, energy consumption in Austria, energy production from renewables, import/export, etc.
About Austrian Power Grid (APG)
Austrian Power Grid (APG) is Austria’s independent transmission system operator in charge of monitoring and managing the nationwide transmission network. Its infrastructure ensures the electricity supply in Austria and is thus the lifeline of the country, its population and its businesses. The APG network totals a length of about 3,400 km and is operated, maintained and continuously adapted to the increasing challenges of economy and society by a team of more than 700 specialists. The capacities of the APG grid and the use of state-of-the-art technologies are the precondition for a sustainable and secure power supply in Austria, for reaching the climate and energy targets and for the increasing electrification of our society, businesses and industry. With our digital platforms we make their flexibilities available for the electricity management. APG’s staff develop suitable market products, have an excellent knowledge of physics and ensure the security and efficiency of supply for Austria. With an investment volume of 370 million euros in 2022 for the expansion and modernization of the grid infrastructure, APG provides an important impulse for the domestic economy. Until 2032 APG will invest a total of approximately 3.5 billion euros in grid expansion and renovation projects, which amounts to approximately 19 percent of the total of 18 billion euros which the energy industry will invest in the grid infrastructure over the next ten years. In the Sustainable Brand Rating 2022 APG has been voted number one in the category ‘public utility infrastructure’ for the third consecutive time.
Press contact
Christoph Schuh
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