The Union set the goal to reduce natural gas consumption by 15% before 31 March 2023. October saw a 36% reduction in natural gas use compared to the five previous years, though Energy Minister Claude Turmes urged caution as colder months were still ahead.
Eurostat, the EU’s statistics service based in Luxembourg, has now released a brief analysis of gas consumption spanning the period of August to November, comparing consumption in 2022 to the average consumption in those months for the years 2017-2021.
This shows that the EU as a whole has more than met the 15% target thus far, with the union consuming 20.1% less gas this year. Topping the list is Finland, where consumption fell by 52.7%, followed by Latvia (-43.2%), and Lithuania (-41.6%). Luxembourg comes in 7th in terms of reduction, at -32.9%.
If we compare 2021 to 2022 - excluding the earlier years - the month-by-month comparison sees a drop in consumption of 36% in August and October, with a more modest 19% drop in September. November’s figure suggests a 34% drop in consumption this year compared to 2021, but relies on an estimate for this year’s consumption rather than final figures.
Data from Eurostat.
