Alana Gandra
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - Electricity consumption in Brazil totaled 28.6 gigawatt-hours in February, a 5.5% increase in comparison with February, 2005. The cumulative increase so far in 2006 amounts to 3.6%.

These data, released yesterday (17), come from the Energy Research Enterprise's (EPE) Monthly Electric Energy Market Accompaniment Bulletin. The EPE is linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy. According to the document, the increase was largely due to last summer's high temperatures, which had a particularly strong impact on consumption by the commercial, service, and residential sectors.

The bulletin points out that the 10.4% rise in electricity consumption by the commercial and service sectors reflects the growth in summer tourism, which affects the hotel and retail shopping sectors. Among residential consumers, on the other hand, the 5.4% rise in demand was the result of increased use of air conditioners and other cooling devices, such as refrigerators. The industrial sector, although it accounted for 43% of all the electricity consumed in Brazil in February, elevated its demand only 2.1%.

The "others" category, which includes the rural sector, services, street lighting, and the government sector, was also responsible for a significant increase in demand,10.3%, in February.

Average monthly residential consumption in February was 146.6 kilowatt-hours, 2.3% more than in February, 2005. Despite this increase, the figure is still 19% less than in February, 2000, the year before the energy supply crisis that hit the country in 2001.

Translation: David Silberstein

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