BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 12. The volume of gas injected by Italy’s Snam company into the national gas transportation network in the first quarter of 2022 totalled 19.46 billion cubic metres, up 1.24 billion cubic metres, or 6.8 percent, due to a reduction in recourse to storage in response to the increase in gas demand in Italy and an expansion of exports, Trend reports with reference to the company.
“Gas demand in the first quarter of 2022 amounted to 25.53 billion cubic metres, posted an increase of 0.33 billion cubic metres, or 1.3 percent, compared with the corresponding period of 2021. This growth is mainly attributable to the increase in consumption in the thermal generation sector (+0.82 billion cubic metres, or 10.4 percent) due to an increase in electricity demand, while hydroelectric output and electricity imports declined,” Snam said in its latest report.
The report shows that the growth in consumption for thermal generation was offset by a decline in industrial consumption (-0.23 billion cubic metres, or 6.5 percent), due to the high prices of raw materials and supply difficulties, and in the residential and services sectors (-0.15 billion cubic metres, or 1.1 percent), reflecting milder weather overall compared with 2021. Adjusted for climate effects, gas demand was equal to 25.14 billion cubic metres, an increase of 0.20 billion cubic metres (+0.8 percent) compared with the first quarter of 2021 (24.94 billion cubic metres), in line with the expansion of energy efficiency measures.
In the first quarter of 2022, the LNG terminal of Panigaglia (La Spezia) 0.13 billion cubic metres of LNG were regasified (0.38 billion cubic metres in the first quarter of 2021) and 3 LNG carriers were unloaded, equal to the number allocated (7 carriers unloaded in the first quarter of 2021, compared with 9 allocated). The reduction in the volume of activity is attributable to price dynamics and, in particular, the increase in liquefied Algerian gas flows to France and Spain compared with Italy. Beginning in April 2022, this trend reversed, with a consequent increase in carrier unloading and volumes regasified by GNL Italia.
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