Electricity demand improves to 98% of pre-Covid-19 level in August: ICRA

Led by recovery in rural areas, demand for electricity in the country improved to about 98 per cent of pre-COVID-19 level in August, according to rating agency ICRA.

The electricity demand recovery on an all-India level has largely been led by northern and eastern states with a year-on-year (y-o-y) increase of 6-13 per cent in demand in July 2020, it said.

“The rise in demand was mainly driven by rural consumption though it continues to be lower as compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels,” it said.

The electricity demand in large industrial states witnessed a 6-15 per cent fall in July 2020 on a y-o-y basis, on the back of slower recovery in industrial activity.