Brasília, January 20, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Energy consumption grew 1.2% in November, 2003, compared with November, 2002. Cumulative consumption for the year is 3.7% higher than in 2002. 40% of the country's energy production is consumed by residential and commercial users, while industry consumes 43.6%.

According to Eletrobrás's Department of Energy and Market Studies, industrial consumption presented a 1.9% gain in November, in comparison with the same period in 2002. The cumulative increase in industrial consumption last year comes to 2.2%.

Residential consumption grew 3.2% in November, compared with November, 2002. The number of residential users reached 45.1 million, and average monthly consumption rose from 137 to 141 kWh, an increase of 2.9%. (DAS)