COVID-19 impact evident in new energy data

The profound impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the energy sector has been reflected in new data contained in the New Zealand Energy Quarterly released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The latest New Zealand Energy Quarterly covers the period April-June 2020, most of which was when the country was at Alert Level 2 or above, and provides quarterly data and analysis on energy supply, demand, prices and associated greenhouse gas emissions.

“The impact of the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were evident in this quarter, in particular, the period at Level 4,” says Daniel Griffiths, MBIE Manager of Markets, Evidence and Insights.

“National demand for electricity fell by more than 5% compared to the same quarter a year earlier with industrial and commercial demand leading the decline. With all non-essential industries and businesses closed for about a month, overall demand in these sectors fell by 13%."

“Residential demand rose 8% as workers and students remained at home and provided a small offset to the overall decline."