Latvia's energy consumption was down 6.1% in 2020

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Provisional data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) and published June 28 show that in 2020 gross energy consumption in Latvia comprised 185 petajoules (PJ), which is 6.1 % less than in 2019.

Compared to 2019, in 2020 primary electricity production rose by 23 % or 1.8 PJ – in hydro power plants by 23.5 %, in solar power plants by 54.5 % (6 TJ) and in wind power plants by 82 TJ (14.8 %).

In total in hydro power plants, wind power plants and solar micro-generators produced 2 785 GWh, respectively 2 603 GWh, 177 GWh and 5 GWh.

In 2020 energy consumption in households comprised 48.2 PJ, which is 3.1 % less than in 2019. Structure of energy resource consumption in households has not changed notably over the recent years – firewood is the most commonly used energy resource. Compared to 2019, consumption of natural gas in households has dropped by 49 TJ (1.1 %). In turn, compared to 2019, consumption of electricity in households increased by 366 TJ or 6.2 %, which was affected by restrictions imposed by Covid-19 – remote work and downtime.

Over recent years, the share of natural gas is declining and the proportion of renewables is growing. Over the past ten years (from 2011 to 2020), the share of natural gas consumption has gone down by 29.3 % or 15.8 PJ and its share has dropped by 8.7 percentage points.

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In 2020 the share of natural gas was 20.6 %, but of renewables – 37.5 %. In 2020, the share of oil products in the gross energy consumption accounted for 32.7 %, while the share of other energy resources constituted 9.2 %. At the same time, share of firewood consumption grew by 6.9 percentage points over the past decade, constituting 32.4 % last year.

In 2020, compared to a year before, the volume of wood chips produced went down by 1.7 PJ (5.7 %), but the amount of of pelleted wood rose by 1 PJ (2.5 %), and exports of pelleted wood increased by 1.3 PJ or 3.3 %.

As the gross consumption of renewables is increasing, Latvia is reaching its strategic objective regarding use of renewable energy resources aiming at reaching 40 % of the energy produced from renewables in the gross final energy consumption until 2020. Latvia has the fifth highest share of renewables in the final energy consumption in the European Union (EU); in 2019(ES) the indicator constituted 40.97 % (EU average 18.9 %). The EU Member States shall ensure that until 2020 the share of renewables consumed in transport sector is 10 %. In 2019, Latvian share of renewables in transport constituted 5.1 % and EU average 8.9 %.

Over the past five years, consumption of energy resources in industry has gone up by 5.6 PJ or 16.3 %, and comparison with 2019 shows an increase of 1.3 PJ or 3.3 %, comprising 39.6 PJ in 2020. In 2020, the greatest consumption of energy resources was recorded in manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork – 21.2 PJ or 53.7% of the final energy consumption in industry. During the last five years, consumption of oil products in industry has went up by 9.3 %. In 2020 energy consumption in mining and quarrying comprised 0.7 PJ, which is 75 % more than in 2019 (0.4 PJ).

 

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