Annual Report 2010 311 - Verbundnetz Gas AG

of 2.2 per cent for 2011. The Council expects that
the downturn in Germany triggered by the crisis
will have been fully absorbed by the end of 2011.
That would mean the German economy needed
three years to make up for the decline in gross
domestic product caused by the crisis.
Energy consumption in Germany back on the increase.
There was a robust rise in German energy
consumption as a result of the strong economic
recovery and the lower temperatures during the
winter months compared with 2009. The year-onyear
increase ran at 4.1 per cent and is chiefly attributable
to energy-intensive sectors of industry.
Despite this high rise, energy consumption still
failed to return to the 2008 level and – with the
exception of the previous year – was at the lowest
level since 1990. Energy consumption in Germany
is expected to stagnate in the coming years.
Natural gas consumption throughout Germany
increases in 2010. Demand for natural gas benefited
in particular from the high heating demand
in the first and fourth quarters. 2010 was the coldest
year since 1996. As a result of the economic
recovery, more natural gas was also used by
industry, particularly in the chemical sector. The
use of natural gas for power generation revived
strongly in the first half of the year, but then fell
sharply in the second six months.
in consumption not related to temperature or
economic conditions.
Assuming long-term average temperatures, natural
gas consumption in Germany can be expected
to settle at a level similar to that established
for 2010 over the coming years. The anticipated
continued economic recovery and the ensuing
increase in demand will be offset by efficiency
gains, particularly in the heat energy market. A
similar development is expected throughout the
European Union. Volume increases are chiefly
expected in markets in Southern Europe, e.g. on
the Iberian Peninsula.
The share of natural gas in German primary energy
consumption in 2010 remained unchanged
at 21.7 per cent.
Share of renewable energies continues to grow.
Although the share of wind power was below
the prior-year level for the first time in 2010, the
overall share of renewable energies in German
energy supplies increased by 6.8 per cent yearon-year,
with the rise chiefly attributable to the
increased use of biomass for power and heat
generation. This trend will continue over the coming
years. The significance of renewables in the
German energy mix will increase in both absolute
and relative terms.
Natural gas consumption in absolute terms was
on a par with the level for 2008. Adjusted for
temperature, natural gas consumption in Germany
was some 2 per cent down on the level for
2008. The number of consumers in 2010 remained
largely unchanged compared with the prior year.
The operating envelope of nuclear power and
coal-fired power plants is having a growing impact
on natural gas consumption. Depending on the
availability of these plants, gas-fired facilities
are increasingly being used to balance fluctuations
in renewable generating capacity, resulting
in a higher incidence of short-term fluctuations
Energy policy framework
German government’s Energy Concept. The German
government adopted its Energy Concept on
September 28, 2010. The concept gives clear
priority to energy efficiency and to expanding
the share of renewables and underscores the
compatibility of natural gas in combination with
biomethane, its use as an automotive fuel and
the viability of natural gas in efficient gas-fired
power plants.
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