Demand for electricity in Ireland has plummeted on weekdays as companies scale back operations during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Research from Cornwall Insight Ireland, comparing the first week in March with last week, shows that the average daily demand across Ireland on weekdays has fallen by 20% or 23.4GWh since initial announcements in March.
Electricity demand levels are also averaging 254MW lower across the day over the same period last year.
Lead analyst at Cornwall Insight Ireland Cathal Ryan said there has been a significant drop in peak demands.
“Peak power levels are down by 4% year on year owing to COVID-19’s arrival, averaging 240MW lower,” he said.
“The morning peak has seen the most noticeable drop with the profile of the demand curve flattening. The time of the morning peak has now shifted forward by nearly two hours as a large number of the population are either out of work or working from home.”
With the current restrictions in Ireland set to run until 5 May, Ryan said it will likely take some time for demand to return to normal levels.
“However, with many businesses looking at how they can work more remotely post COVID-19, it begs the question will demand ever fully recover,” he said.