Reduced by 15.38% compared to last year was the consumption of natural gas in Greece, according to DESFA data, during the first nine months of 2023.

The Revythoussa Terminal remained the main natural gas import gateway into the country during this period, followed by the entry point of Sidirokastro, whose flows are recorded to have decreased by around 30% compared to the same period last year.

According to DESFA data, during the period January – September 2023:

-Domestic gas consumption decreased by 15.38%reaching 38.07 Terawatt hours (TWh), from 44.98 TWh in the corresponding period last year, mainly due to the mild winter.

– Natural gas exports through the Greek system amounted to approximately 14.52 TWh, registering a decrease of 28.89% compared to last year. The decrease is mainly attributed to the start of operation of the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline, on 01.10.2022, through which Azeri natural gas is now channeled to Bulgaria, which until then (01.10.2022) was transported to the neighboring country through the National Transmission System.

It also follows from the relevant data that:

The decrease in domestic consumption resulted in a (proportionately) smaller decrease in the amount of natural gas imported into the country from the LNG Terminal in Revythoussa, which amounted to 47.75% of the total imports, registering a decrease of 13.69% compared to the first nine months of 2022. In particular, approximately 24.04 TWh of LNG was unloaded by 34 tankers coming from 7 different countries, while in 2022 approximately 27.85 TWh of LNG was unloaded by 60 tankers. 38.92% of said LNG quantities came from the USA, reaching 9.36 TWh. In second place were imports from Russia (6.27 TWh), followed by Egypt (3.02 TWh), Algeria (2.97 TWh), Norway (0.97 TWh), Nigeria (0, 94 TWh) and Spain (0.51 TWh).

Regarding the contribution of the remaining entry points, a significant decrease of 30.7% was recorded in the imports from the Sidirokastro entry point, which covered 30.72% of the total imports (16.18 TWh). The entry point at Nea Mesimvria, through which gas transported by the TAP pipeline is delivered, covered 18.34% of imports (9.66 TWh), while Evros Gardens (Greek-Turkish border) covered 3.18% of imports (1.68 TWh).

In terms of natural gas consumer categories, power producers continue to record the highest consumption, meeting 69.39% of domestic demand with 26.42 TWh out of a total of 38.07 TWh consumed.

An increase of 54.85%, compared to the first nine months of 2022, was recorded in the consumption of PV by industries and CNG stations, directly connected to ESMFA, which amounted to 3.48 TWh, a quantity corresponding to almost 9.14% of the domestic demand. The consumption from the distribution networks during the first nine months of 2023 moved to the level of 8.17 TWh, covering 21.46% of the total demand.

“DESFA’s infrastructures continue to contribute substantially to the diversification of natural gas supply sources and security of supply. Finally, the liberalization of the energy market and the Third Party Access TPA regime, on the basis of which DESFA operates, strengthens price competition. Third party access (TPA) is governed by the provisions of the European Union and national legislation, ensuring open access to any interested party”, states DESFA.