According to the electricity and natural gas price comparison bulletins released by the Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos (ERSE), based on data from the European statistical office (Eurostat), in the first half of this year, the average price of electricity in the domestic sector in the 27 EU countries stood at €0.2595 per kilowatt-hour (€/kWh) and in the eurozone at €0.2695/kWh, 12% and 16% more expensive, respectively, than the value practiced in Portugal (0.2320 euros/kWh).

In the non-domestic segment, the average price in the 27 EU countries stood at 0.1926 euros/kWh and in the eurozone at 0.2004 euros/kWh, 35% and 40% more expensive, respectively, than the value charged in Portugal (0.1426 euros/kWh).

“Spain presented electricity prices 38% and 48% higher than those in Portugal, for the domestic and non-domestic segments, respectively”, notes ERSE.

In the first six months of the year, Portugal recorded a 5.5% rise in electricity prices in the domestic segment compared to the same period of 2021.

In the non-domestic segment, there was "a sharp rise" in electricity prices, of approximately 18.2% compared to the same semester of 2021, but still "much lower" than that observed in Spain, the EU or the eurozone (between 39.7% and 74.2%), says the regulator.

Between January and June, the average price of electricity (with fees and taxes) in the domestic sector in Portugal (0.2320 euros/kWh) was the 13th most expensive among the 27 EU countries, with Denmark ranking first and the cheapest being in the Netherlands.

"In the first half of 2022, electricity prices for the domestic segment recorded the lowest values ​​in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Netherlands. On the other hand, the countries of Central Europe, of which Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Italy had the highest electricity prices", says ERSE.

Natural gas prices

With regard to natural gas, the average price in the domestic sector in the 27 EU countries stood at 0.1080 euros/kWh), 13% more expensive than the value practiced in Portugal (0.0958 euros/kWh), while the average price in the eurozone was 20% higher (0.1148 euros/kWh).

In the non-domestic sector, the average price of 1.0687 euros/kWh of natural gas in Portugal compared was 1% above the 0.0679 euros/kWh of the eurozone, but 0.4% below the 0.0690 euros/kWh of the UE27.

“Spain has, in the first half, natural gas prices 17% and 11% higher than Portugal prices, for the domestic and non-domestic segments, respectively”, says the regulator.

In the semester under analysis, the average price (with fees and taxes) of natural gas paid by Portuguese families was the 10th lowest among the 27 EU countries, with the most expensive being in Sweden and the cheapest in Hungary.