China's power use accelerates in 2016

BEIJING - The growth of power use in China picked up last year boosted by increased consumption from the service sector, official data showed Monday.

Power consumption grew five percent year-on-year to 5.9 trillion kilowatt hours in 2016, according to the National Energy Administration.

Electricity consumed by the service sector surged 11.2 percent last year, in line with 5.3-percent growth and 2.9-percent increase in the agricultural and industrial sectors in the period, said the administration.

Power consumption is used to measure economic activity, confirming the growth momentum and ongoing restructuring of the world's second largest economy.

China is transitioning to a service and innovation-driven economy from an export-reliant one, with the economy expanding at a steady 6.7 percent in the first three quarters last year.