O electric power consumption in Brazil grew 1.7% in June compared to the same period last year, reaching 63,418 MWmed. The data are from the InfoMercado Quinzenal bulletin, from CCEE (Electricity Trading Chamber).
The increase reflects the warmer temperatures recorded in much of the country and the good performance of sectors such as the extraction of metallic minerals, commerce and the food sector.
In the free market, in which industry and large companies can choose their electricity supplier, there was an increase of 1.5% in consumption. In the regulated environment, in which homes and small establishments buy their energy from distributors, growth was 1.8%.
Global electricity demand is expected to increase by 2% in 2023, points out IEA
Consumption by branch of economic activity
Among the 15 sectors of the economy that have units in the free segment, seven recorded higher consumption compared to 2022. Highlights include the extraction of metallic minerals (10.8%), commerce (6.0%) and food (4.8%). At the other end, textiles (-4.6%) and vehicles (-4.4%) showed the biggest drops.
Consumption by region
In the regional assessment, CCEE pointed out that the biggest increases were concentrated in the Northeast and North regions, influenced by advances in the free market and temperatures above the average recorded in the same period last year, a scenario that increases the use of refrigeration equipment, such as the air conditioning. Highlights include Maranhão (41.7%), Amazonas (12.3%) and Acre (11.6%).