French wind and hydro power output hit new highs in January – RTE

Electricity production from wind turbines soared 88 percent during the month compared with January 2017, setting a new record of 3.9 TWh, it said.

PARIS: Strong wind and abundant rainfall pushed French wind and hydro electricity generation to new highs in January compared with the same period a year ago, France’s RTE electricity grid operator said on Wednesday.

French hydro power generation rose 38 percent in January to 7.2 terrawatt-hour, its highest level since 2013, RTE said in its monthly report.

Electricity production from wind turbines soared 88 percent during the month compared with January 2017, setting a new record of 3.9 TWh, it said.

The sharp increase in renewable electricity generation curbed the need for thermal (coal, oil and gas) power generation which fell more than 54 percent on a year-on-year basis in January.

Solar power generation also fell 17.6 percent compared to January 2017.

French nuclear power generation, which accounts for over 75 percent of the country’s electricity needs, rose by 0.7 percent to 40.8 TWh compared with the same month last year.

Electricity demand during the month fell 17.8 percent due to warmer-than-expected weather in January as average temperature was 5.4 degrees Celsius higher than in January 2017.

Industrial power consumption also slowed during the month.

RTE said French electricity prices fell sharply to a monthly average of 35 euros a megawatt-hour (MWh) due to the fall in demand, mild temperatures and firm available nuclear power capacity.

Source: Reuters