Electricity consumption in EU countries hardest hit by COVID-19 gradually rising, down by up to 15% in Czechia

Electricity consumption in European countries most heavily affected by COVID-19 has begun to return to normal and appears to have already bottomed out. Compared with the lows, consumption has risen by nearly ten percent in both Spain and Italy. In Czechia, the decline in consumption is estimated at around 15%.

The gradual easing of measures against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the hardest-hit countries is also having a positive effect on electricity consumption, which is slowly beginning to return to normal. However, compared with previous years, consumption remains below average.

The recovery is most visible in Spain and Italy, where consumption has risen by around 10% from its lows. By contrast, the UK and France, where the measures with the greatest impact on electricity consumption have not yet been eased, remain around their lows.

The gradual recovery is most visible in Italy – as the chart shows, the decline was most pronounced in the week beginning 6 April, when it approached 30%. Italy eased some measures from 14 April, and a slight increase has been visible since then. According to the Italian prime minister, broader easing can be expected from 4 May.

Load in Czechia fell by up to 15%, says ČEPS

Protective measures have not bypassed Czechia either, and as a result electricity consumption in the country has also fallen substantially. In Czechia, however, the turning point did not come until early April; the whole of March could still be considered relatively average.

The largest decline in the data can be observed on this year's Easter Monday. However, it should be added that Easter Monday last year fell in calendar week 17, whereas this year it was already in calendar week 16.

Data from ČEPS show that, recently, power system load on working days between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. has been around 1,200 MW lower, while at weekends the reduction is approximately 700 MW. However, this situation is not exceptional and does not require any special measures.

“ČEPS has no operational problems in ensuring real-time power balance and does not currently expect any. We are addressing the situation using standard dispatch control tools,” says Zbyněk Boldiš, member of the board of directors of ČEPS, a. s.