Electricity consumption in European countries in June was 7.6% lower than the lowest June value recorded between 2016 and 2019, according to Eurostat on Tuesday.
When compared with the lowest June level since 2016, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Greek Cypriot administration, Poland and Slovenia showed a decrease of more than 10% due to a reduction in the number of tourists, which led to a decline in electricity consumption, Eurostat said.
As tourism is an important sector for the majority of these countries, the likely reduction in the number of tourists due to travel warnings and quarantine measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus could lead to a decrease in electricity consumption, it explained.
Eurostat data reveals that seven member states, including Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal and Finland, show a reduction in electricity consumption of between 5% and 10%, while for eight member states, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia, the drop was between 1% and 5%.
The office also warns that some countries may have seen an “improvement” or “worsening” in electricity consumption when comparing June with May 2020 data as a result of the temperature differences in these countries, which can either increase or decrease the amount of power used.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr