At a time when the energy demand was looking southwards with near total shutdown of all commercial and industrial activity in Telangana following the lockdown enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, it was the domestic sector that kept the consumption at a healthy level although it has declined nearly 7% during this March-May period compared to 2019.
The total lockdown imposed from the last week of March to the third week of May has pushed all the industrial and commercial establishments into hibernation mode except those involved in the production/processing/supply/sale of essential commodities. However, it was the domestic sector, with the help of most of the working class either forced to stay home due to closure of work places or made to work-from-home, which maintained the demand at a reasonable level.
Generally, the energy demand is about 30% each from the industrial and agricultural activity including the free power, about 25% from domestic consumption and the remaining 15% from commercial and temporary demand. According to a senior executive of TS-Transco the energy consumption during the March-May period this year was about 16,760 million units (MU) against 17,960 MU during the same period last year.
“With the commercial and industrial activity almost shutdown, the domestic consumption has shot up during the period to restrict the energy consumption decline for the period to about 6.7%,” the official said adding that it had increased moderately by 3% in March compared to the same month last year as the shutdown came into force only during the last week.
The consumption this April went down by 16% compared to April 2019 as entire month was under lockdown and in May it has declined by over 9% compared to May 2019 as the industrial and commercial activity has started reopening from the third week. Increase in energy demand would generally be in double-digit during April and May months in the recent years, the official explained.
Although, the lockdown period has kept the short-term energy purchase bill of the two power distribution companies (discoms) in the State low, it has enabled one unit of 4×270 MW Bhadradri Thermal Power Station (BTPS) supplement about 84 MU of in-firm power to the grid from May 15.