The European Union managed to exceed the goal of cutting demand for gas this winter, according to new data from Eurostat.
Eurostat data shows that the European Union’s winter demand has fallen by 19 percent compared to the five-year average, beating the 15 percent target it has set for itself to help it survive the winter.
The biggest drop was in Finland, which reduced its use by nearly 60 percent. Lithuania had the second biggest drop, down nearly 50 percent, with Sweden in third place. Spain has seen one of the smallest reductions in gas consumption, the data showed.
Eurostat did not differentiate between the loss of demand due to the mild winter and high prices.
Consumption began to suffer some of the biggest drops from August, when there was a 14 percent reduction in consumption. September saw an even bigger drop, and the trend of ever-decreasing consumption continued into January.
January is typically a month of high gas demand caused by lower temperatures. Still, the EU consumed 1,534 PJ in January, a slight drop from December. For comparison, Eurostat data shows January 2022 consumption at 1,938 PJ.
