While the Danish public has succeeded in reducing electricity and gas consumption during the summer, the need to be thrifty will continue when the weather gets colder, according to the country’s Energy Agency.
“The energy crisis is not history”, director of the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) Martin Hansen said on Thursday via a press statement.
“Swinging energy prices and a volatile market are a good example of that,” he said.
Consumption of electricity and gas by Danish households was down by 9 and 7 percent respectively this summer compared to normal levels.
But gas use was close to the average seen before the energy crisis for a short period of the summer, according to the Energy Agency.
That could eventually put pressure on supplies should it become a more consistent trend, the agency said.
“For gas in particular there are a number of unknown factors like China’s increasing liquefied natural gas consumption, the stop on Russian gas imports and the possibility of a cold winter,” Hansen said.
The government has already encouraged the public in Denmark to continue with measures adopted to save energy last year.
“The best way of ensuring the energy crisis does not come back is that we all avoid energy waste. So there’s still an encouragement to Danes and businesses to have focus on their energy consumption,” Energy Minister Lars Aagaard said on Tuesday.
Mild weather and reduced gas use by producers contributed to successful efforts in avoiding a major shortage of gas last winter, the Energy Agency said.
