Here is the new record: Hungary has never consumed so much electricity
According to the website of the transmission system operator MAVIR, the new record was set at around 7,200 MW (slightly higher than the verified gross actual data is expected later), which was reached around 16:45 by the system load. The previous record was also born this year, on February 11, when the system load rose to 7119 MW between 17:45 and 18:00. Memorable, then a polar cold invasion hit the country with stormy winds, snowfall and blowing snow, followed by a prolonged cold period of -20 degrees in some places, which was the coldest period of the winter of 2020-2021. Study of the National Meteorological Service according to.
The development of electricity consumption also shows seasonal characteristics in connection with the weather and the outside temperature. The electricity consumption records in Hungary are always set in the winter, cold period, but MAVIR keeps track of the peak system load in the summer season, which represents the second official value within a year. These are usually born during the warmest times of the year, when the need for cooling properties and thus the consumption of frequent equipment peaks. The historic summer system load peak also ended in 2021, with national power consumption peaking at 6,940 MW on the evening of June 24 from 6:45 pm to 7:00 pm. This day is one of the peaks of the first domestic heat wave and new gay records was born in Hungary at an average daily temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius.
The current new absolute peak was also born at a time when the weather was colder than average, although current temperatures are not unusual in December. The national average outdoor temperature was in the positive range during the day, and at the time of the new record, even after sunset, there were no harsh minuses. However, during the night and dawn, the current week is very cold, and in some days the temperature drops below minus 10 degrees in some places before sunrise, according to the forecast of the country’s National Meteorological Service.
At other times in the last week, the system load has been around several times above and slightly above the 7,000 MW level, but on Monday morning, December 6, MAVIR also showed a spike around 7,400 MW in a graph published in two places. reporting this may have been the result of an error, not an indication of fair value.
Since the new record was born in colder-than-average, but not extremely harsh weather conditions, it would not be at all surprising if there were even more new historical system load peaks in the coming weeks and months. The general electrification trend also plays a role in the current record, which means that the role of electricity in heating, among other areas, is growing due to the proliferation of heat pumps and other heating solutions that require electricity. In addition to weather and electrification, electricity consumption also depends on the performance of the economy, which can hopefully be strong even in the near-peak condition of the fourth wave of epidemics.
There may be a special epidemic effect on power consumption that increases use, and that is teleworking. Mass teleworking has an upward effect on consumption, as energy demand at home is rising, and the use of office buildings cannot fall below a certain level, even if the majority of workers do not. The change in the proportion of people working from home is peaking somewhat following the wave of epidemics, and based on recent data, the current wave also appears to be close to current.
In the longer run, the monthly and annual growth of electricity consumption in Hungary is also indicated. In five of the ten closed months of this year (February, March, April, June, July), electricity consumption in Hungary was set an absolute record, while the aggregate IX. monthly consumption (38,474.2 GWh) is more than 4 wide over the same period last year and nearly 2 from the record year to date, 2019 data. For the whole of 2021, consumption is expected to be more than 5.5 or even higher (47,663 GWh) compared to the 2020 MAVIR data, but it could also exceed the 2019 record by almost 4.5. Gross domestic electricity consumption will continue to grow in the coming years, but may remain below 1 percent year-on-year. It should also be added, however, that the forecasts below were largely based on pre-energy crisis conditions.
Consumption, at least for the time being, is not much affected by the record high rise in market electricity prices. In addition to the growing population and SMEs, several other sectors will soon be able to fall under the umbrella of the officially artificially low (reduced) umbrella, so they and their consumption will not have to pay the lost electricity prices indirectly. All consumers, on the other hand, will certainly not be able to escape the circle, and many industrial consumers, for example, may even reduce or stop production, but they may be forced under brutal price burdens, which increases the rational response. However, this effect will only be more pronounced from January, after the expiry of the current annual contracts, even curbing consumption growth.
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