The electricity consumption of large and medium-sized companies rose 2.6% compared with the same month the previous year, according to data from the Red Eléctrica Index (IRE). Broken down by sector, industrial consumption grew 1% and consumption in the services sector rose 2.6%. The effects of seasonal and working patterns were factored in when calculating this data.

According to the IRE, in the last twelve months, the electricity consumption of these companies, once the effects of seasonal and working patterns were factored in, rose 1.7% over the same period last year. By sector, industrial consumption has increased 2% and the services sector consumption has dropped by 0.4%.

Compared to December 2016, of the five activities with the highest electricity demand, the metallurgy industry decreased 2.1%, the chemical industry 3%, the manufacturing industry for other non-metallic mineral products increased 8.5%, the food industry 2.7% and the paper industry fell 3%.

The activities that contributed most to the consumption of large companies in December were: the collection, purification and distribution of water with an increase of 36%, the manufacturing industry for other non-metallic mineral products (8.5%), the warehouse & storage industry and activities connected to transport (7.2%), the manufacture of rubber and plastic products (4.4%) and the food industry (2.7%).

The monthly electricity consumption data of each of the economic activities can be found in more detail in the IRE section of the Red Eléctrica website.

The IRE is an indicator which aims to provide information on the evolution of the electricity consumption of all large and medium-sized companies, defined as those with a contracted capacity above 450 kW. The measurements are collected at more than 23,400 points of approximately 13,900 companies. The consumption taken into account by the IRE represents about 47% of the total electricity demand, the remaining demand corresponds to residential consumers and other types of consumption.

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