Electricity consumption reaches record high in Nov

China's electricity consumption, an important barometer of the country's economic activity, reached 413.9 billion kilowatt-hours in November, up 7.6 percent year-on-year and a record high in 2012, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The commission said on Monday that this is the first time that all provinces and autonomous regions in the country saw a growth in power consumption since April, which means that China's economy is warming up.

The country's electricity consumption increased 5.1 percent in the first 11 months compared with last year.

The western area of the country consumed 109.4 billion kilowatt-hours in November, up 11.8 percent year-on-year. The area's growth rate is higher than in eastern and central China.

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn