ONS: Heat wave takes energy consumption to new record – 03/17/2024 – Market

The heat wave across the country led Brazilian energy consumption to break a record on Friday (15), reported the ONS (National Electric System Operator). On the same day, there was also a record in instantaneous demand for electricity.

According to the operator, the country’s energy consumption reached 91,339 average MW (megawatts), surpassing the average 90,596 MW recorded on November 17, 2023, also in the midst of a heat wave across the country.

Instantaneous demand reached 102,478 MW at 2:37 pm on Friday. The previous record was 101,860 MW, set on February 7, 2024, the operator said.

“The load behavior [de energia] was influenced by climatic issues, mainly by the high temperatures in almost the entire country, which saw another heat wave”, stated the ONS, in a note distributed this Sunday (17).

The heat wave that began at the end of the week led the city of Rio de Janeiro to record two consecutive records in measuring thermal sensation, both in the neighborhood of Guaratiba, in the west zone. On Saturday (16), the indicator reached 60.1°C. This Sunday, it was 62.3°C.

According to Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology), in addition to Rio de Janeiro, states such as Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo are also affected by the heat wave.

At 34.7°C, the city of São Paulo had the hottest day of the year on Saturday and the highest temperature for the month of March in at least 81 years, since Inmet started keeping statistics in 1943.

The temperature was reached at 3 pm at the Santana viewpoint, in the west zone, responsible for the official measurement in the capital of São Paulo, but it was only measured manually at night by the institute.

The forecast of high temperatures for the next few days led the ONS to predict a 5.7% increase in the country’s energy consumption for next week, compared to the same period in 2023. The greatest growth is estimated for the Northeast, with 8.8%, followed by the North (8.5%).

Growth projections for the Southeast/Central-West and the South are 5.8% and 1.5%, respectively.

The heat wave increased demand for air conditioning units this week, when businesses promoted consumer day, last Friday.

The date earned the nickname “Black Friday of the first semester” and, as with its “sister” in the month of November, consumers are hustling to get the best prices – and with an eye on products to alleviate the discomfort caused by high temperatures. .

According to a survey by Buscapé, air conditioning devices jumped from fourth to second position among the categories most targeted by Brazilians between 2023 and 2024. Fans and circulators, on the same basis of comparison, went from 14th to 8th position.