The noticeable slowdown in economic growth, mild weather and significant energy savings against the backdrop of sharply rising prices have led to a 3.5 % decline in energy consumption in Germany in the 1st half of the current year. According to preliminary calculations by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (AG Energiebilanzen), Berlin/Germany, domestic primary energy consumption reached 5,950 PJ or 203.0 Mtce in the 1st half of 2022 (Figure 1).
Fig. 1. Development of primary energy consumption 1st half of 2022, changes in percent, total 5,950 PJ or 203.0 Mtce. Source: AG Energiebilanzen
The AG Energiebilanzen assumes that the high energy prices have led to energy savings with short-term effects on the one hand, but on the other hand also trigger savings with long-term effects because investments in reducing energy consumption are more worthwhile. Economic growth, which fell to 1.5 % in the first half of the year, had only a minor consumption-increasing effect. Without the consumption-reducing effect of the mild weather, energy consumption would have fallen by only 0.5 % according to calculations by AG Energiebilanzen. Taking into account the temperature effect and the further reduction in consumer stocks, energy consumption would even have risen slightly in the first half of the year. Positive impulses came from economic growth and demographics, which were more than compensated for by the price-driven savings effects.
The consumption of mineral oil in the first six months of the current year was 7.3 % higher overall than in the same period of the previous year. All mineral oil products recorded increases: The consumption of petrol rose by 5.7 %, diesel fuel increased by 3.5 %. Sales of aviation fuel rose strongly by more than 60 % and deliveries of crude petrol to the chemical industry increased by more than 6 %. Sales of heating oil increased by slightly more than 10 %. The overall increase in mineral oil consumption, but especially the growth in sales of aviation fuel and heating oil, is largely due to a statistical base effect, as sales in the first quarter of 2021 slumped sharply due to the pandemic, among other factors.
Natural gas consumption decreased significantly by almost 15 % in the first half of the current year. The main reason for this development was the milder weather and the high price level. In addition, the use of natural gas for power generation decreased because renewable energies made higher contributions – especially in the 1st quarter.
The consumption of hard coal increased by 9.2 % overall. The use of hard coal in power plants increased by 26 %. This development was influenced by the changed competitive situation on the European electricity market. The iron and steel industry reduced its demand by 5 %.
The consumption of lignite was 10.6 % above the level of the same period of the previous year, but about 5 % below the comparative value for 2019 and thus continues to follow the longer-term reduction path. In the first two months of the current year, the high production of electricity from wind turbines caused a decline in lignite-based electricity generation, but from March to June the demand for electricity from lignite-fired power plants increased significantly, as less electricity from wind turbines was fed into the grid. In addition, electricity from lignite-fired power plants replaced part of the electricity generation from nuclear power plants that were shut down at the end of 2021 and contributed to security of supply on the European electricity market.
In the reporting period, electricity generation from nuclear power decreased by more than half compared to the first half of the previous year. The sharp decline is due to the decommissioning of the plants in Grohnde, Brokdorf and Gundremmingen and the associated reduction in installed capacity from 8,113 to 4,055 MW.
The contribution of renewable energies increased by 4.7 % in the 1st half of 2022. With exceptionally good wind conditions, especially in February, wind turbines increased their contribution by 18 % in the first half of the year. In contrast, hydropower plants delivered 1 % less electricity than in the same period last year. Solar energy was able to increase by 20 %. Biomass, which supplies more than half of the renewable energy consumption, experienced a slight overall decline of 2 % due to weather conditions.
According to preliminary calculations by AG Energiebilanzen, energy-related CO2 emissions increased by around 1 % in the first half of the year, as the declines in electricity generation from nuclear energy and in the use of natural gas for electricity generation were primarily offset by hard coal and lignite. (AG Energiebilanzen/Si.)
