BEIJING, Jun 18 (ABC): China’s electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, recorded stable growth in the first five months, official data has shown.
Total power use went up 2.5 percent year on year in the January-May period to 3.35 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), according to the National Energy Administration.
Power consumed by the primary industry increased by 9.8 percent year on year, while that used by the secondary and tertiary industries rose by 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. Residents’ power consumption saw a year-on-year increase of 8.1 percent.
In May alone, the power consumption stood at 671.6 billion kWh, down slightly by 1.3 percent from a year ago. While the electricity used in the primary sector gained 6.3 percent, that of secondary and tertiary sectors was down 0.5 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.