Gas consumption in Portugal increased by 11.1% to 45.0 TWh (terawatts/hour) in 2025, compared to 2024, but was 20% below the average of the previous five years, reported this Tuesday, 24, the Energy Services Regulatory Entity (ERSE).
According to ERSE’s “Bulletin on the Use of Gas Infrastructures”, the year-on-year increase in global consumption was driven by the 92.7% increase in the electricity market, while the industrial sector and distribution networks recorded a reduction of 14.7% and 3.1%, respectively.
The total gas consumption of 45.0 TWh was divided between 13.8 TWh in the electric market and 31.2 TWh in the conventional market.
Considering only the fourth quarter of 2025, it totaled 12.0 TWh, 7.1% more compared to the same quarter of the previous year, translating to an increase of 33.3% in the electricity market (3.8 TWh), associated with greater use of combined cycle plants, and a 1.9% reduction in the conventional market (8.2 TWh).
“The increase in gas consumption results from the effects of the ‘blackout’ of April 28, 2025, which entailed a reinforcement of security measures for the operation of the electrical system, through the mobilization of gas plants”, says ERSE.
The regulator details that the daily peak in each month of gas consumption registered values above the same period in 2024, with the exception of December.
In the same period, the average price of gas on the Iberian Gas Market (Mibgas) with delivery to Spain was €29.75/MWh (euros per megawatt/hour), an annual reduction of 32.0%.
According to ERSE, this evolution “also shows less price volatility”, with “less frequent peaks and smaller variation amplitude”.
In 2025, contracted regasification capacity remained stable, reaching 179 GWh/day (89.6% of the capacity available for commercial purposes – CDFC), with the daily average of nominated capacity being 124 gigawatts (GWh)/day, below that recorded in 2024 (129 GWh/day) and without congestion in contracting regasification capacity.
The Sines LNG (liquefied natural gas) Terminal – responsible for the reception, dispatch, storage and regasification of LNG – received 46 methane ships for unloading operations, a reduction of 13.2% compared to the total number of ships received in 2024.
The origins of these ships were Nigeria (23 methane ships), USA (20) and Russia (three), with the total value of energy discharged at the terminal corresponding to approximately 47.7 TWh, 1.5% less compared to 2024.
The LNG Terminal represented 94% of the natural gas imported and injected into the transport network, totaling 44.6 TWh. Furthermore, 2.2 TWh of LNG were shipped by road, corresponding to 7,546 tanks, reflecting a year-on-year increase in activity of 2.9%.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, on 87% of days the regasification process was used between 40% and 80% of its capacity, “leaving room to respond to peaks in demand”, notes ERSE.
In the bulletin, the regulator also says that, by the end of 2025, the average contracting of underground storage capacity was 95.0% of CDFC, 4.3% less in annual terms.
“The annual capacity product remained the most sought after, due to its lower cost compared to short-term products”, he says.
The contracted extraction capacity reached 9.9% of the CDFC, 27.4% more compared to 2024, while the contracted injection capacity in underground storage stood at 29.8% of the CDFC, 9.5% above the same value in 2024.
“Portugal surpassed the European intermediate gas storage target (90%), reaching 96.2% on November 1st, while at European level the average ‘stock’ of gas stored in caves was 82.8%”, highlights ERSE.
On December 31, the gas ‘stock’ was at 93.5% of the CDFC, equivalent to 27 days of average national consumption.
In relation to the Iberian Virtual Interconnection Point (Iberian VIP), which consolidates the two interconnections between Portugal and Spain, “it showed low usage, recording an export balance of approximately 1.9 TWh”.
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