Industry production cuts due to pandemic to reduce German power demand by 3.5 percent in 2020
Clean Energy Wire
Power consumption in Germany could drop by about 3.5 percent in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand in industrial production, energy industry group BDEW has said. In the first nine months of the year, electricity demand has been 4.7 percent lower than during same period last year, the BDEW said, adding that this would likely lead to a reduction of 3.5 percent for the entire year. Industry consumes about 46 percent of Germany's power, making it the single largest consumer in the country. Due to the lockdown measures introduced earlier this year, power consumption temporarily dropped by up to 12 percent, before recovering to just 2.4 percent below last year's demand in September.
Energy market research group AGEB recently published data saying that total energy consumption in Germany will drop by about seven percent in 2020, with the largest drop coming from the mobility sector due to lower fuel demand caused by restrictions on travelling to slow the pandemic's spread. Power consumption in the industry looked almost fully recovered by October, but could see yet another drop as Germany imposed fresh lockdown measures on the economy in November.
