The amount of electricity consumed in Romania decreased 15% in 2009, reaching the same level as in 2002, the Economy vice minister, Tudor Serban, announced on Thursday. The main cause is the financial crisis, which led to a significant decrease in the industrial consumption.

According to the National Statistics Institute, the first quarter of the year ended with a 12.884 billion KWh consumption, 7.4% less than during the first quarter in 2008. The public illumination recorded an 8.8% growth, while the population consumption increased 9.6%.