Electricity demand in Spain has fallen by 2.6% at 12.00 hours this Wednesday 11 November, amid a general strike, according to data from Red Eléctrica de España (REE). At that time, consumption stood at 32,823 megawatts (MW), compared with the 33,700 MW recorded on Tuesday at midday; a difference that has been gradually shrinking as the day has gone on.
The drop was much more pronounced in the early hours of the morning, when electricity demand fell by around 9.5% at 8.30 hours compared with the previous day. At 10.00 hours, the difference had moderated to 6.6%, while by midday it was already below 3%.
Consumption also remains below the forecasts of the electricity operator. Red Eléctrica had estimated a demand of 34,678 MW for 12.00 hours, but actual consumption has been 5.34% lower, with a difference of 1,855 MW.
Electricity demand as an indicator of strike tracking
The evolution of electricity consumption is one of the indicators used to measure the economic impact of general strikes, especially because of its relationship with industrial and commercial activity. However, changes in demand do not make it possible to directly calculate what percentage of workers supported the stoppages, as other factors also affect consumption.
In the most recent general strike held in Spain, on 14 November 2012, electricity demand across the whole day fell by around 11% compared with a usual day. That figure, however, corresponds to the complete daily balance and cannot be directly compared with the partial data for this Wednesday.
In addition, Spanish electricity consumption has changed considerably since then, both due to improvements in energy efficiency and due to the development of self-consumption, which have modified demand patterns.