Electricity demand in Poland in November fell 2.3% year on year to 14.315 TWh, according to data published Wednesday by the country's transmission system operator PSE.
Average temperatures in Warsaw in the last week of November were up to 7 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms, driving demand and power prices down.
During the first 11 months of 2019, electricity consumption was down 0.7% year on year. In the whole of 2018, Polish electricity consumption rose 1.7% year on year.
Electricity generation in November fell 7.3% year on year to 13.195 TWh thanks to an 18% fall in lignite-fired production and a 15% drop in hard coal-fired output, according to figures on PSE's website.
Gas-fired generation in Poland continued its upward trend, rising 55% year on year, as more gas CHP plant came on line this year for the heating season. Increasing PV generation was also reflected in the rise in output from "other forms of RES plants," which was up 34% year on year.
The shortfall in generation in relation to demand was made up by record high net imports, mainly from Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Lithuania, which rose 173% year on year.
November's increase reflected this year's trend, which saw Poland record its highest net energy imports in a decade in the third quarter with average day-ahead prices higher than in any neighboring markets.
In November, Poland was once again a net importer of electricity. The country imported 1,120 GWh more than it exported. During the first 11 months of this year, Poland imported 9,750 GWh more than it exported, up 73% year on year.
Hard coal and lignite-fired system plants accounted for 73% of all electricity generation in Poland in November, down from 80% a year ago. Gas-fired generation accounted for 9% of all generation, up from 5.4% in November 2018, while wind production made up 10% of the total, up from 6.7% a year earlier.
