Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on electricity load demand in Thailand

Abstract

Electricity demand is typically affected by many exogenous and endogenous factors to which utility generation, transmission, and distribution systems respond accordingly. The outbreak of COVID -19 caused a sudden change in every aspect in many countries. The number of cases increased exponentially from mid-March 2020 in Thailand. The Thai government has taken many pandemic-prevention measures such as requiring people to stay home to reduce human-to-human transmission of the virus. Many human activities stopped, such as businesses, services, and transportation. The preventive measures taken to curb the spread of COVID -19 have drastically changed the behavioral patterns of people. The energy sector is one of the sectors most affected by COVID-19. After the government-imposed restrictions to prevent COVID -19 within the country, there were extreme fluctuations in demand for electricity on the grid. We compared the electricity load patterns before and after introducing the countrywide restrictions by the government. Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand provided the daily 30-minute load data. This study provides valuable insights into the Thai power system during the global crisis. This is to support decision making, especially for policy-makers, grid operators, and regulators, by quantifying the short-term impact and identifying the long-term impact of pandemic waves on the power system.