Czech GasNet increased gas distribution by seven percent last year, helped by cold weather

Natural gas consumption in Czechia is rising. GasNet, the country’s largest distributor, delivered 63.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of gas last year, up seven percent year on year. The number of connected supply points and the share of biomethane in the network also increased. GasNet told ČTK today. Gas consumption across Czechia rose by 6.9 percent last year to 79 TWh.

"Consumption trends were primarily influenced by weather conditions during the year, especially colder months in the heating season," said GasNet Group chief executive Andrzej Martynek.

According to him, consumption increased across all customer groups. Households and small customers consumed 26.2 TWh, a tenth more than in 2024. Among medium-sized and large customers, consumption rose five percent year on year to 37.1 TWh.

GasNet recorded its highest daily demand last year on 17 February, when customers in the company’s distribution area consumed 33.3 million cubic metres of gas.

GasNet connected a total of 15.406 new supply points in its service area last year. The company recorded the largest increase among large and medium-sized customers such as heating plants, industrial businesses and energy-intensive operations.

"We have been seeing an increase in the number of newly connected supply points for the third year now. For large operations and energy sources, switching to gas is an effective way to move away from coal combustion, and we can see this in last year’s figures. We expect the number of large consumers switching to gas to continue rising in the coming years," Martynek said.

According to him, the company has sufficient capacity to meet growing demand in most locations.

According to the distributor’s estimates, total gas consumption in Czechia could rise by 11 to 17 TWh by 2030 as a result of the move away from coal.

The share of biomethane in the distribution network is also gradually increasing. Last year, its volume in the GasNet network nearly tripled to 144.3 megawatt-hours (MWh), equivalent to the consumption of around 10.000 households that use gas for heating, water heating and cooking. "The total potential for biomethane production in Czechia is estimated at between ten and 15 TWh," Martynek added.

Despite the overall increase in consumption, last year’s demand was 1.2 percent lower year on year after adjusting for temperature effects, according to an analysis by consultancy EGU. It remained, for example, below consumption levels in 2021, before the start of the war in Ukraine.