According to a forecast, energy consumption in Germany will fall to a record low this year – primarily due to shrinking economic output. The Energy Balances Working Group (AG Energy Balances) expects a decrease of almost eight percent to 10,784 petajoules (= 2996 terawatt hours) compared to the previous year. This means that consumption would be almost 28 percent below the previous high of 14,905 petajoules in 1990, as the AG Energy Balances in Berlin announced.
To put it into perspective: According to the Federal Network Agency, 484 terawatt hours of electricity and 847 terawatt hours of natural gas were consumed in Germany in 2022. A terawatt hour is a billion kilowatt hours.
Energy consumption in Germany in 2023 will be particularly influenced by economic development, it said. “This year’s economic output could decline in the order of 0.5 percent.” The energy-intensive industries in particular recorded declines in production, which had a noticeable impact on energy consumption. The warmer weather compared to the previous year also had a consumption-reducing effect. According to the AG’s calculations, around a fifth of the total percentage reduction in consumption was due to weather.
A third consumption-reducing effect results from the energy price level. “Although the import prices for the most important imported energies fell significantly over the course of the year, the prices are still significantly above the 2021 level.” It is assumed that the persistently high prices not only ensured savings, but also led to a reduction in energy-intensive production.
On the other hand, demographic developments have an increasing effect on consumption. A migration-related influx of 1.35 million people would lead to an increase in energy consumption of around 200 petajoules.
