Electricity demand slumped by an unprecedented 14 percent in April, driven down by lockdown measures that have restricted movement and forced hundreds of thousands of businesses to suspend their operations, figures provided by power grid operator IPTO have shown, according to energypress sources.

The IPTO data strictly concerns demand through the grid, not electricity amounts declared by companies at the Greek energy exchange, the sources noted.

In March, electricity demand was down by 1.8 percent compared to the equivalent month a year earlier.

The demand drop in the high-voltage category for industrial consumers was 23 percent, nearly double the overall decline. Major manufacturers opted to disrupt their operations to limit losses prompted by lower market demand.

April’s 14 percent drop in electricity demand is the biggest on record. A bigger fall of 18 percent was recorded in July, 2013, but this data includes network figures, which, if factored in, limit the drop to 12 percent.

Electricity demand is expected to remain subdued in the coming months as enterprises will need some time before rebounding to normal business levels.