Turkey's natural gas consumption declined year-on-year by 9% to 44.9 billion cubic meters in 2019, data of the Natural Gas Distribution Companies Association of Turkey (GAZBIR) showed on Thursday.
Household gas consumption for the same period, which accounted for 32.7% of Turkey's total natural gas consumption, increased by 15% to reach an all-time high of 14.5 billion cubic meters.
The number of natural gas subscribers, which stood at 16.5 million by the end of last year, grew due to colder weather conditions and greater household gas consumption.
The average consumption per household in 2019 amounted to 985 cubic meters with natural gas subscribers paying an average of 1,700 Turkish liras.
Although growth was seen in household natural gas consumption, the use of natural gas for power generation in power plants decreased by 38% to 11.2 billion cubic meters, marking the lowest level in the last 5 years.
In 2018, natural gas plants consumed 18.2 billion cubic meters of gas for electricity generation.
Gas consumption in many natural gas plants fell with reduced working hours, while higher gas prices; increase hydropower production and the opening of more renewable energy plants also contributed to its reduction.
Conversely, industrial natural gas consumption increased by 3% reaching 12.4 billion cubic meters.
With ongoing natural gas distribution investments that amounted to 52 billion liras up to the end of 2019, 52.2 million out of Turkey's total population of 82 million, had access to natural gas by the end of 2019.
GAZBIR predicts Turkey's natural gas consumption this year will be 46 billion cubic meters as the number of subscribers is expected to rise to 17.2 million.
Turkey's natural gas distribution sector plans a 1.1 billion lira investment so 36 new regions in Turkey can gain access to natural gas.
US$1 equals 6.98 Turkish liras at 0600 GMT on Thursday.
By Nuran Erkul Kaya
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr