APG: July confirms solid “run-of-river year”

Electricity production from renewable sources in Austria (APG control area) was extremely good in July (calendar weeks 27-30) due to the high amounts of precipitation. With 3,019 GWh run-of-river production contributed 57% of the overall renewable production in July (5,295 GWh). This has been the highest feed-in volume of run-of-river power plants since 2017. In general new record values were reached in 2024. From January to July the run-of-river production amounted to 20,354 GWh which is 21% above the average of the years 2017 to 2023. 

Overall hydropower contributed 3,894 GWh or around 74 percent of the renewable production in July, which is a plus of 26 percent in the year-on-year comparison. Wind power increased by 19 percent (500 GWh) and PV production increased by an incredible 145 percent to 780 GWh due to the massive expansion of PV systems.

Surplus of renewable energy leads to a persistent export surge 

The good production from renewable energy sources made it possible to generate a surplus of electricity in Austria, which meant that APG was able to export electricity every day in July (on balance).  “Due to the strong expansion of renewable sources, we are able to increase the share of electricity demand that is covered by domestic renewables every year. Especially with regard to future growth rates of installed renewable power in Austria, this positive development, however, requires a continual expansion of the electricity infrastructure in general, and in particular of storage facilities. In addition, the necessary legal framework has to be put in place eventually," emphasizes Christoph Schuh, company spokesperson for APG. 

No energy transition without a strong electricity grid

A strong grid is necessary to make the volatile, renewable electricity available and to transport it to where it is needed. To avoid grid overloads and ensure a secure supply, the electricity flow is managed with so-called redispatch measures, i.e. the targeted and controlled use of specific power plants.

In July interventions in the schedule of power plants in Austria had to take place on 21 days to ensure the security of electricity supply. This causes costs which eventually have to be borne by the electricity customers. In July these costs amounted to approx. 11.1 million euros. 

A negative effect in addition to the costs and rising CO2 consumption is the "curtailment" of renewable power plant production: For example, wind power plants or run-of-river power plants that would be producing electricity at a certain time are shut down to avoid overloads in the electricity grid. Since the beginning of the year, an average of around 5,800 MWh of electricity per month has been "lost" due to these measures (the corresponding figure for July was around 1,700 MWh of electricity; the total from January to July was around 40,600 MWh).

The installed potential output of renewable electricity is of no use to us if the infrastructure required to distribute the electricity is too weak or non-existent. The targeted use of thermal and hydraulic power plants, as well as the curtailment of renewables to prevent grid overloads, must be both a warning signal and a wake-up call: without a high-capacity and reliable electricity grid, we will not be able to achieve the energy industry’s goals that are necessary for a secure energy transition and at the same time we will experience increasingly negative economic effects. 

A high-capacity electricity infrastructure, storage facilities, and digital intelligence within the electricity system are necessary to fully capitalize on the planned growth rates of renewables in the coming years. APG's EUR 9 billion investment scheme up to 2034 and its timely implementation is therefore key for achieving the energy transition without jeopardizing the security of supply. The simplification and acceleration of approval procedures are indispensable preconditions in this context.

Energy exchange within Austria              

The trans-regional electricity grid of APG facilitates the exchange of energy within the country. Electricity surpluses in individual provinces can thus be distributed throughout Austria to compensate for deficits. 

Due to the good production of hydropower, the provinces Tyrol (462 GWh) and Upper Austria (413 GWh) generated the highest energy surplus in July and made it available throughout Austria via the APG grid. Vienna (436 GWh) and Carinthia (99 GWh) had to draw the most electricity from the grid. 

Responsible energy consumption

The available data shows that 4,306 GWh of electricity from the public grid were consumed in Austria in July (calendar weeks 27-30) – this is around 7 percent more than in July 2023 (4,027 GWh). 

It is important to act responsibly when it comes to electricity consumption. Saving electricity reduces CO₂ and overall systemic costs, which are significant contributions to increasing system security. The trend of reducing CO₂ has to be pushed further. This also includes electricity from private PV units.

Tips for saving electricity can be found at www.apg.at/stromspartipps. With the APG Powermonitor, the Austrian population can see the most effective electricity-saving hours and thus make an active contribution to CO₂ reduction and system security. The APG Powermonitor can be found at: www.apg.at/powermonitor.

APG continually keeps track of the development of the domestic electricity industry and regularly publishes diagrams at https://www.apg.at/infografiken regarding the topics: energy exchange, energy consumption in Austria, renewables production, import/export, electricity prices, etc. 

Click here for the current infographics

About Austrian Power Grid (APG)

As independent transmission system operator Austrian Power Grid (APG) is in charge of ensuring the security of the electricity supply in Austria. With our high-performance and digital electricity infrastructure and the use of state-of-the-art technologies we integrate renewable energies, we are the platform for the electricity market, and we provide access to reasonably priced electricity for Austria’s consumers and thus create the basis for Austria as supply-secure and future-oriented industrial and business location and place to live. The APG grid totals a length of about 3,400 km and is operated, maintained, and continuously adapted to the increasing challenges of the electrification of businesses, industry, and society by a team of approximately 900 specialists. 67 substations are distributed all over Austria and the majority is operated remotely from APG’s control center in Vienna’s 10^th district. Thanks to our committed employees Austria had a security of supply of 99.99 percent also in 2023 and thus ranks among the top countries worldwide. Our investments of 445 million euros in 2024 (2023: 490 million euros, 2022: 370 million euros) are a motor for the Austrian economy and a crucial factor in reaching Austria’s climate and energy targets. Until 2034 APG will invest a total of approximately 9 billion euros in grid expansion and renovation projects.

*) All information based on currently available data.