Czech residents have consumed 11 percent more natural gas during the first nine months of this year compared to last year, totaling over 53 terawatt hours. This significant increase is primarily attributed to colder weather conditions, according to statistics from the Energy Regulatory Office and distributors. The trend of large and medium-sized facilities transitioning from coal to gas continues to strengthen across the country.
The year began with an overall decrease in consumption, with January showing a slight year-on-year decline in gas usage. However, in subsequent months, consumption rose considerably compared to the previous year. Weather was the main factor, as temperatures from February onward were notably cooler than last year. This pattern reversed briefly in August when gas companies recorded a slight year-on-year decrease.
Both households and industrial consumers—including heating plants, chemical facilities, and manufacturing companies—have shown increased consumption. GasNet, the country’s largest gas distributor, reports growing interest since the beginning of the year, connecting 61 new customers from the industrial segment in the first three quarters alone—a 38.6 percent year-on-year increase.
“More companies are gradually implementing their decarbonization projects, which is reflected in the growing number of new connections to our infrastructure in this segment. We expect this trend to continue,” said Andrzej Martynek, CEO of GasNet Group.
Gas consumption is expected to rise further as the heating season in the Czech Republic began in mid-September. While distributors conducted major inspections of gas facilities during spring and summer months, they plan one final major check before the freezing temperatures arrive in November, when distributors will begin what they call “impact odorization”—adding significantly larger amounts of odorous substances to gas for a week to verify the overall tightness of gas pipelines and connections.