China's power use up 5.2% in first seven months

BEIJING -- China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, registered steady growth in the first seven months of 2023, official data showed on Monday.

During the period, China's power consumption neared 5.2 trillion kilowatt-hours, up 5.2 percent from a year ago, the National Energy Administration said.

Power consumed by primary industries increased 12.3 percent year-on-year, and power used by secondary and tertiary sectors increased 4.6 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively.

Residential power use saw a year-on-year increase of 2.1 percent to 782.7 billion kilowatt-hours during the first seven months, the administration said.

In July alone, the country's power consumption rose 6.5 percent year-on-year to 888.8 billion kilowatt-hours, according to the administration.