Renewables meet 82% of Portugal’s electricity needs in first half of 2024

Domestic renewable energy production met 82% of Portugal’s electricity needs in the first half of 2024, according to the country’s grid operator, REN. That’s up from 61% in the same period a year before thanks to a recovery in hydroelectric output and a surge in wind and solar installations.

Hydro accounted for 39% of electrical output in the first six months of the year, wind 28%, solar photovoltaics 9%, and biomass 6%. Gas-fired generation made up just 8% of the mix, with the remaining 10% coming from imports — mainly from Spain, which also gets most of its electricity from renewables.

Gas-fired power output plunged 66% in the first half, relative to a year before. Across all sectors, the country used the least amount of gas in more than two decades. Portugal shut its last coal-fired power plant in 2021.

According to data collated by Ember, Portugal, Spain, Norway, and Sweden had the lowest wholesale electricity prices in the European Union in the first six months of the year.

Portugal aims to get to 85% renewable electricity by 2030. Here’s how it plans to get there.