Natural gas consumption in Greece reduced in 9 months – Where does the country buy LNG from?

The consumption of natural gas in Greece is recorded reduced by 15.38% compared to last year,  during the first nine months of 2023, according to data from the National Natural Gas Transmission System.

The Revythoussa Terminal is the main natural gas import gateway into the country during this period, followed by the entry point of Sidirokastro, whose flows are recorded to have decreased by approximately 30% compared to the same period last year.

Imports from countries

According to the National Natural Gas Transmission System data, during the period January – September 2023, the domestic consumption of natural gas decreased by 15.38%, reaching 38.07 Terawatt hours (TWh), from 44.98 TWh in the corresponding period last year, especially due to the mild winter. Exports of natural gas through ESMFA amounted to approximately 14.52 TWh, registering a decrease of 28.89% compared to last year. This reduction is mainly attributed to the start of operation of the ICGB pipeline, on 01.10.2022, through which Azeri natural gas is now channeled to Bulgaria, which until then (01.10.2022) was transported to the neighboring country through the National Transmission System.

The decrease in domestic consumption resulted in a (proportionately) smaller decrease in the amount of natural gas imported into the country from the LNG Terminal in Revythoussa, which amounted to 47.75% of the total imports, registering a decrease of 13.69% compared to the first nine months of 2022. In particular, approximately 24.04 TWh of LNG was unloaded by 34 tankers coming from 7 different countries, while in 2022 approximately 27.85 TWh of LNG was unloaded by 60 tankers.

38.92% of said LNG quantities came from the USA, reaching 9.36 TWh. In second place were imports from Russia (6.27 TWh), followed by Egypt (3.02 TWh), Algeria (2.97 TWh), Norway (0.97 TWh), Nigeria (0, 94 TWh) and Spain (0.51 TWh).

The other entry points

Regarding the contribution of the remaining entry points, a significant decrease of 30.7% was recorded in the imports from the Sidirokastro entry point, which covered 30.72% of the total imports (16.18 TWh). The Nea Mesimvria entry point, through which gas transported by the TAP pipeline is delivered, covered 18.34% of imports (9.66 TWh), while Kipoi at vros  (Greek-Turkish border) covered 3.18% of imports (1.68 TWh).

In terms of natural gas consumer categories, power producers continue to record the highest consumption, meeting 69.39% of domestic demand with 26.42 TWh out of a total of 38.07 TWh consumed. An increase of 54.85%, in relation to the first nine months of 2022, was recorded in the consumption of PV by industries and CNG stations, directly connected to the natural gas grid, which amounted to 3.48 TWh, an amount corresponding to almost 9.14% of domestic demand. The consumption from the distribution networks during the first nine months of 2023 moved to the level of 8.17 TWh, covering 21.46% of the total demand.

The National Natural Gas Transmission System’s infrastructures continue to contribute substantially to the diversification of natural gas supply sources and security of supply. Finally, the liberalization of the energy market and the Third Party Access TPA regime, on the basis of which DESFA operates, strengthens price competition. Third Party Access (TPA) is governed by European Union and national law provisions, ensuring open access to any interested party.