During the fourth week of April, electricity demand saw a decline across most major European markets. Italy experienced the largest drop, with a decrease of 14%, followed by Portugal and France, which recorded decreases of 6.0% and 3.4%, respectively. Belgium and Germany showed the smallest declines, with 0.6% and 0.5% reductions. Germany’s demand continued its downward trend for the sixth consecutive week, while Italy and Belgium followed similar patterns for the third and second consecutive weeks, respectively. However, Spain and Great Britain bucked the trend, with demand increasing by 2.3% and 0.9%, respectively. Spain’s rise marked a recovery after five weeks of decline, while Great Britain showed a moderate increase.
Throughout the week, average temperatures were higher compared to the previous week in most European markets. Portugal, Spain, and Great Britain saw the largest temperature increases, with rises of 2.4°C, 2.1°C, and 1.2°C, respectively. France and Italy each recorded a 0.5°C increase, while Belgium saw a slight rise of 0.1°C. However, Germany experienced a temperature drop of 1.0°C.
The decrease in electricity demand across most markets was attributed to reduced work activity during Easter Monday, a public holiday in Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, and Belgium. In Italy and Portugal, the national holiday on Friday, April 25—Freedom Day in Portugal and Liberation Day in Italy—further contributed to the decline. In contrast, Spain saw a rise in demand as work activity resumed after the previous week’s public holidays, despite Easter Monday being observed as a holiday in certain regions.
Looking ahead to the week of April 28, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting predicts that electricity demand will decrease in most European markets, partly due to the upcoming May 1 holiday, International Workers’ Day. However, demand in Italy is expected to recover during this period, AleaSoft reports.