The 28 member states of the European Union collectively used 7% more gas in 2016, compared with 2015, according to gas lobby group Eurogas.
Gas demand reached 456.3 bcm last year, compared with 428.1 bcm in 2015. Demand rose in all countries apart from Finland. It was the second consecutive year of strong growth, with gas demand in the region 4% higher in 2015 than in 2014.
Eurogas secretary-general Beate Raabe said: “In the UK, power sector CO2 emissions even decreased by as much as 18.7% thanks to gas, and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions in all sectors is still large: 66% in power generation, 42% in heating and 25% in transport. Blend in renewable gas over time and emissions can go towards zero.”
Eurogas said there was a dramatic 61% rise in electricity produced from gas in 2016, as combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) became more competitive relative to coal. This switch to gas in the power sector helped cut CO2 emissions by 4.5% in 2016, it said.