Electricity generation last year increased by 4.0 per cent compared to the previous year but it was below the 2007 peak, data issued by the statistics office today shows.

The data also shows that the interconnector produced 46 per cent of total power and reduced power station emissions by another 46 per cent. 

Power generation last year was 2,257,218 megawatt hours compared to 2,296,296 megawatt-hours in 2007 and 2,275,892 megawatt-hours in 2008.  

The National Statistics Office said that some 30 per cent of the electricity generated in a year occurs between July and September.

During 2015, 1.1 million megawatt-hours or 46.7 per cent were imported through the interconnector.

July and August feature the highest electricity demand, registering an average of 404 and 406 megawatts respectively in the period 2006-2015. The highest annual average demand was registered in 2007 with 363 megawatts. On the other hand, the lowest annual average demand was registered in 2010 amounting to 328 megawatts.

During the last four years, generation of energy from renewable sources grew from 25,609 megawatt-hours in 2012 to 103,540 megawatt-hours in 2015. During 2015, most renewable energy (91.6 per cent) was produced from photovoltaic cells.

In 2015, emissions from power plant sources dropped by 46.8 per cent over 2014, mainly due to the use of the interconnector. (As a result, the Marsa power station was switched off in mid-February)