The impact of Covid-19 on energy consumption in Algeria- study and outlook

Abstract

Energy consumption is a major concern in the world, and even in Algeria, because of its eco- nomic and social impact on people’s way of life. All aspects and activities of life, including energy

consumption, have been influenced by the deep sanitary crisis related to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected the world from 2020 until today. This study examines the energy consumption in Algeria for 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. It was reported that a huge decline of 13% was recorded in the national consumption of energy in 2020 (petroleum products and natural gas) compared to 2019, falling from 67 MTOE to 59 MTEO. Electricity consumption has also dropped at

a rate of 4%. This trend was due to the lockdown and containment policies implying a set of mea- sures serving as a non-clinical approach to mitigate the spread of the virus and better managing

this sanitary crisis. Some of these measures could benefit the national energy-saving strategy out- side of the Covid-19 crisis. However, more technical and behavioral measures are highly required to ensure more effective saving and rationalize the use of energy, the main drive of the economy.