Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Electricity Generation and Demand Patterns of Bangladesh Power System

Abstract

The lives of people around the world have been heavily affected due to the unprecedented outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus, more commonly known as COVID-19 pandemic. The situation is no more just an economic and public health crisis, rather a disruption in all aspects of the society of which electricity grid is no exception. Electrical utilities and operators of many affected countries of the world have found themselves in a precarious position. Due to governmental restrictions to contain the virus within the country, the grid experienced drastic change in electricity generation and demand patterns. In this paper, the change in daily load curve of Bangladesh is analyzed and compared to that of previous years. Comparison is made between system demand pattern before and after country-wide governmental restrictions were enacted. The results from the study provides valuable insights into Bangladesh power system under a natural and global contingency.