Impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on electricity demand: Evidence from Colombia

Lockdowns were one of the main preventive measures adopted by governments against the COVID-19 spread. Lockdowns changed people's routines and affected the activities of economic sectors in every country. Electric power sectors were also affected. The aim of this research is to determine the impact of preventive measures adopted by the Colombian government on the electric power demand of the main economic activities, using the difference-in-differences method and two-stage least squares estimation. In addition, a comparative analysis of the behaviour of the National Interconnected System total demand and disaggregated demand by markets in 2020, compared to previous years, was carried out. We evidence the recomposition of electricity consumption related to mandatory preventive isolation during the pandemic. The day with a more significant percentage difference compared with 2019 was April 10th, showing a decrease of 21.28 %. Therefore, this study contributes to improving the predictive models of the country's demand, optimizing the needs of future generations. Likewise, this study provides resources to optimize supplier portfolios and energy contracts for high-demand consumers. •Impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on electricity demand in Colombia.•In 2020, Colombian electric power demand decreased by 2.1 % compared to 2019.•Energy demand growth rates were lower than Pre-COVID-19 estimates.•The socioeconomic gap and informality in Colombia increased.