Demand for electricity has dropped by 10 percent Since the lockdown in March 2020. There has been a marginal come by demand for electricity since the country went into lockdown in March, according to Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL).
Ms. Pamella Byoruganda, the UETCL principal publicity manager, told Daily Monitor, “Since the lockdown began, the energy demand has reduced by 10 percent. Not at 600MW, it’s fallen from 680 megawatts (MW)”.
Distributors like Umeme receive bulk electricity from UETCL from generating plants. A complete lockdown was initiated by President Museveni on March 30, 2020, that directed utility companies to not disconnect consumers in an endeavor to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Since the lockdown culminated in the closure of a variety of companies, the directive has done little to save lots of demand. If you are one of those asking “Is Easy DIY Power Plan a Hoax?”, the Ugandan power demand will make you think more of power consumption.
Reduced manufacturing
Industries, which consume quite 60 percent of the country’s electricity have since the lockdown reduced production.
Mr. Daniel Birungi, the Uganda Manufacturers Association administrator, said the ten percent drop won’t be a real reflection because industrial production has dropped tremendously.
“Thanks to the curfew, other people that are now doing one shift, are engaged on a way reduced capacity”. Noting the drop is higher, he also added, “the addressable marketplace for manufacturers has fallen anywhere between 50-70 percent”.
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Mr. Selestino Babungi, the Umeme manager, told Daily Monitor that while figures for electricity consumption since Covid-19 haven’t yet been tallied, limited economic activity, which moves in tandem with power demand, is anticipated to form a discount in consumption.
“The center of the city, which consumes 10 percent of our total demand, has little activity so demand for electricity is moving consistent with those consumption areas, while some of the manufacturers don’t seem to be working,” he said.
However, the increased number of individuals staying home on account of the lockdown, he said, is predicted to form a rise in demand by domestic consumers.
Strain on tariff
Both domestically and globally, the energy sector has faced multi-faceted challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the low demand for electricity, there’s a revenue requirement to pay power sector players for his or her investments.
As such, further reduction in demand may lead to a rise in tariff so as to satisfy revenue obligations the country needs to private investors.