National electricity consumption totaled 68.993 MWmed in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 1,3% compared to the same period last year. According to the Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE), if the 1.445 MW exported to Argentina and Uruguay are taken into , demand increased by 3,4% in the annual comparison.
CCEE's assessment is that consumption remains as expected, with the recovery of the energy market and in line with the first four-monthly review of the load forecast, which projects a 2,6% increase in consumption for the year. The growth observed in the first quarter is linked to the good performance of some sectors of the economy that should continue to perform well in 2023.
The advance in the first quarter was driven by 5,4% higher demand in the free market (without considering exports), where industry and large companies negotiate energy contracts. The environment used 24.561 average MW and the highest rates were recorded by CCEE in the sanitation and commerce sectors, driven by the migration of new consumer units, followed by the branches of economic activity linked to metallurgy, which look with optimism at the recovery of the Chinese economy.
The remainder, 44.432 MWmed, was consumed by the distributor segment, in the regulated market, which serves homes and small businesses. This amount was 0,8% lower in the annual comparison and the drop was influenced by a greater volume of rain in much of the country in the first quarter, in addition to milder temperatures than those recorded in the same period last year.
Lines of activity
Evaluating the behavior of the 15 sectors of the economy with electricity consumption monitored by CCEE in the first quarter of this year, in the annual comparison and without considering exports to Argentina and Uruguay, demand was higher in almost all of them, with emphasis on the sanitation sectors (24%), trade (12%), extraction of metallic minerals (12%) and metallurgy and metal products (9%). Only three areas recorded a decline: the textile and chemical industries and the non-metallic minerals segment, each with a 3% decline.
Consumption by region
In the regional assessment, energy consumption also rose in almost the entire country in the first quarter, with emphasis on Maranhão (46%) and Pará (8%), where the industry linked to the metallurgical sector had a strong influence, followed by Rondônia, where temperatures were above the average recorded in the same period last year, a scenario that increases the use of refrigeration equipment.
In the states where demand for electricity was lower, without considering exports, CCEE highlights Mato Grosso do Sul (-7%), Rio Grande do Norte (-1%) and Pernambuco (-2%), all affected by higher volumes of rain in the first quarter, and Pernambuco, additionally, impacted by the drop in free market consumption.
