Natural gas consumption in the European Union dropped by 20.1 % in August-November 2022 compared to the average gas consumption in the same months (August-November) in 2017-2021. In Poland, gas consumption fell by 20 % during this period.

The Council of the European Union’s regulation on coordinated gas demand reduction measures, part of the REPowerEU plan to end the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels, set an emissions reduction target of 15 % for the period August 2022 to March 2023, compared to the average for the same period in the previous five consecutive years.

Between August and November 2022, natural gas consumption fell in most Member States. In 18 Member States, including Poland, consumption significantly exceeded the reduction target set at 15 %, in some by a wide margin. Consumption fell the most in Finland (-52.7%), Latvia (-43.2%) and Lithuania (-41.6%).

Six Member States, although reducing their natural gas consumption, have not yet reached the 15% target. In contrast, natural gas consumption increased in Malta (+7.1%) and Slovakia (+2.6%).

Already in October, Deputy Minister for Climate and Environment Anna Lukaszewska-Trzeciakowska in-formed in the Sejm that natural gas consumption in the winter season 2022/23 would be noticeably lower than a year ago, when it amounted to more than 11.6 billion cubic metres.

She also recalled that in recent years measures have been taken to reduce the risk of post-tenuation restrictions in natural gas supply to the lowest possible level, and that Poland is independent of any supply direction.
Poland’s existing interconnectors far exceed domestic natural gas consumption and, depending on needs, can carry out intra-Community purchases or imports of natural gas.

Adrian Andrzejewski