Power consumption remains above 1t kWh

China's total electricity consumption remained above the 1-trillion-kilowatt-hour threshold for the second consecutive month in August, with new business formats and emerging sectors leading the pace of growth and acting as vital incremental drivers, industry data showed.

Total electricity use exceeded 1.03 trillion kWh in August, representing a 1.7 percent year-on-year increase, according to the National Energy Administration.

Meanwhile, peak electricity load hit a historic high of 1.56 billion kilowatts, up 49.69 million kW compared to the previous year's maximum load, exceeding last year's peak for seven days during the month, it said.

Wu Liqiang, assistant director of the department of statistics and digital intelligence at the China Electricity Council, noted that secondary and tertiary industries served as the primary growth engines, completely offsetting a weather-induced decline in residential power use.

"The combined incremental electricity consumption from secondary and tertiary industries not only covered the residential shortfall but supported a net increase of 17.63 billion kWh, reflecting that the absolute scale of production-side power demand is still expanding and acting as the core anchor of the broader economy," Wu said.

A breakdown of the data highlights the country's ongoing industrial upgrading, characterized by a pattern of new sectors rising and old sectors declining, according to Wu.

Power consumption in the secondary industry increased by 2.4 percent to 612.4 billion kWh in August, with industrial use growing by 2.7 percent. High-tech and equipment manufacturing maintained rapid momentum, surging 7.2 percent year-on-year to 122.2 billion kWh.

Within this segment, sub-sectors showcased broad-based expansion.

Electricity consumption for computer and communication equipment grew by 7.5 percent, general equipment manufacturing rose by 7.6 percent, and special equipment manufacturing went up by 8.2 percent.

Electrical machinery posted a stellar 12.3 percent growth. Notably, power consumption for new energy vehicle production jumped 22.2 percent, driving overall automobile manufacturing power use up by 7.6 percent.

In addition to high-tech sectors, consumer goods manufacturing also maintained steady momentum, indicating stable fundamental consumption, according to the NEA.

In August, electricity consumption in this segment grew 3.7 percent year-on-year, contributing 12.4 percent of the incremental national electricity consumption. It served as the second-largest positive driver within manufacturing, significantly outperforming traditional energy-intensive sectors.

"The growth in consumer goods manufacturing power consumption signals that domestic end-user demand is finding firmer footing," said Wu.

"While high-tech manufacturing grabs the headlines as the primary growth engine, consumer goods act as the indispensable ballast of the real economy. Outperforming traditional high-energy-consuming sectors underscores that macroeconomic support policies, particularly large-scale consumer goods trade-in initiatives, are effectively filtering down to factory floors and stabilizing factory operating rates."

According to the NEA, electricity consumption for electric vehicle charging and battery-swapping services reached 17.2 billion kWh in August, skyrocketing 51.2 percent year-on-year. Similarly, internet data services consumed 10.2 billion kWh, climbing 37.9 percent.

From January to August, the country's total electricity consumption reached 7.173 trillion kWh, up 4.3 percent year-on-year. Breaking it down by sector, the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries saw their power consumption increase by 3.3 percent, 4.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn