Quebec energy sector feeling the impact of COVID-19 as consumption drops

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MONTREAL — With everyone stuck in their homes and police checkpoints set up across the province to limit movement between regions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Quebec’s energy sector is taking a hit.

According to numbers from the past few weeks, consumption in products and services has dropped by at least 40 to 50 per cent, l'Association des distributeurs d'energie du Quebec (ADEQ) announced on Monday.

Unlike other essential services, which have seen a rise in demand over the past few weeks, ADEQ suspects their numbers may continue to drop as limits on travel become stricter.

This mostly affects service stations, but also the residential, institutional, commercial, agricultural and industrial sectors as well, ADEQ said.

“In certain regions of Quebec, there may only be one single service station miles, which represents an essential service year-round for the community it serves,” ADEQ CEO Sonia Marcotte said in a press release. “ADEQ and its members are constantly fighting not to leave places without this essential service.”

Marcotte said ADEQ is working with the provincial government as well as municipal governments to ensure services are available for everyone, for the duration of the pandemic and once it ends as well.