The COVID-19, power generation and economy – Case study of a developing country

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2022.107145Get rights and content

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic created profound impact on every nation’s economy, education, healthcare, social and cultural life, domestic and international mobility at an unprecedented level. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, most nations are undergoing through frequent full or partial lockdowns, resulting in significant economic losses, and unprecedented suffering of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Given the crucial role of electric power in economic activities, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on power sector and economy in a developing/emerging country as a case study. The study examined electric power generation and consumption, GDP growth, export, import, remittances, and various government measures undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was used to investigate correlation between COVID-19 cases and power consumption during full and partial lockdowns. The research revealed a long-run negative relationship between COVID-19 cases and power consumption during partial lockdowns. The study also revealed that the targeted and partial lockdowns accompanied by nation-wide mass vaccination programme can steer the economy along the power sector with minimal or no impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

COVID-19
Lockdown
Power generation
Power consumption
ARDL
Economy
GDP
Remittances
Foreign trade

Cited by (0)

Firoz Alam is Professor and Program Director in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He completed his Ph.D. in 2000 and MSc combined with BSc in Aeronautical Engineering in 1991. Prof Alam’s research interest includes Energy, energy policy, energy security, power generation, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, HVAC, engineering education and quality assurance. Prof Alam is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, Chartered Professional Engineer, and member of other professional organisations (American Society of Mechanical Engineers-ASME, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-AIAA, Society of Automotive Engineers-SAE, International Association for Energy Economics-IAEE). Prof. Alam has over 250 peer reviewed scientific publications including books, book chapters, journal articles and conference papers. He is the recipient of RMIT University best teacher award in 2004.

Saifuddin Ahsan is a practicing professional engineer. He has been working at North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), a state-owned company of Bangladesh since the completion of his Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He has also completed MBA degree from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mr. Ahsan is currently superintendent engineer at NWPGCL. His expertise includes power plant design, construction, operation, energy and power policy, and energy security. He collaborates with research and academic institutions including RMIT University. He has published 10 peer reviewed book chapter, journal articles, and conference papers. He is member of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh.

Tanvir Ahmmed is an executive engineer at North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), a state-owned company of Bangladesh. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He has completed MBA degree from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mr. Ahmmed’s expertise includes power plant operation, power generation, distribution, energy and power policy, and energy security. He has published 5 peer reviewed journal articles and conference papers. He is member of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh.

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