In total, 531,379 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity were consumed in Latvia in September, which is 6.8% less than in August and 9.7% less than in September 2021. The changes in consumption are linked to the previously observed increases in electricity prices – in August, the historically highest average monthly electricity price was reached since the opening of the market, which, after receiving bills, forced users to reduce consumption in September.
There is also a decrease in consumption in the other Baltic States and in Scandinavia.
The decrease in household consumption was also driven by the installation of microgenerators or solar panels.
In September 2021, the capacity of microgeneration installed in Latvia was 16 MW, but this year in September it was already 80 MW. Currently, according to the current arrangements, only the amount of electricity transferred to the grid is listed, but not the entire production of the micro-generation. Part of this is consumed at the time of production, which in turn reduces households' need to buy electricity from the grid.
In total, 201,135 MWh of electricity was produced in Latvia in September, 22% less than in August and 38% less than in September 2021.
Although electricity consumption in Latvia has fallen at an unprecedented low in recent years, production has also decreased significantly, leading to a 38% coverage of electricity consumption with local generation. It is the lowest figure since August last year, the missing electricity volume - 330 244 MWh - being imported from neighboring countries.
In September 2022, the average electricity price in the Latvian trading area decreased to EUR 350,99 per MWh, which is 25% less than in August, but compared to September 2021 the price is 184.2% higher.
