Scorching heat increases Türkiye’s electricity consumption by 15% in June

Türkiye’s electricity consumption reached 28,556,804 megawatt-hours in June, a 15% year-on-year rise due to temperatures above seasonal norms and increased use of air conditioners, while electricity generation from natural gas, wind and solar showed a significant increase.

Electricity consumed in June last year was recorded at 24,873,787 megawatt-hours, according to the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS).

Data from AccuWeather, a weather forecast provider, revealed that Türkiye experienced the hottest June in recent years, which pushed power demand higher.

This year, the temperature on the first day of June was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius and surged to as high as 42 degrees in some cities.

The average June temperatures ranged from 21 degrees to 26 degrees last year. Moreover, even the lowest temperature experienced last month was higher than the top temperature seen in June 2023.

Increased use of air conditioners due to ‘scorching temperatures’ had a serious impact on electricity consumption. In June, power generation from natural gas increased by 99% to 4,601,650 megawatt-hours, up from 2,315,501 megawatt-hours last year.

– Solar power sees 61% rise

Notable increases were also observed in solar and wind energy, which are widely used in electricity generation.

Accordingly, 3,226,093 megawatt-hours of electricity was generated from solar power last month, 61% higher than last year’s figure recorded at 2,004,720 megawatt-hours.

The amount of electricity generated from wind increased by 34% in June, year-on-year, totaling 3,036,992 megawatt-hours. In June last year, production from wind was 3,267,692 megawatt-hours.

Meanwhile, there were no significant changes in electricity generation from hydropower, lignite or imported coal sources.

– Hot temperatures set a record

Measurements made with the European Union’s (EU) Copernicus satellite monitoring system revealed that the global average air temperature for March 2024 was measured at 14.14 degrees, 1.68 degrees above the average March temperature of 1850–1900, 0.73 degrees above the average March temperature of 1991–2020, and 0.10 degrees above the average temperature of the previous warmest March recorded in 2016.

Last March was the ‘warmest March’ ever recorded.

Similar measurements were taken in April and May, with those months being announced as the warmest of all time.

Last year, data from Copernicus showed that the temperatures measured in June made it the hottest June on record. This year’s temperatures are expected to set a new record for June.

• European Union's (EU)
• Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS)