At record high, China says July electricity use rivals Asean’s annual total

China’s electricity consumption surpassed the 1 trillion kilowatt-hour mark in July, energy authorities said, as scorching heatwaves pushed demand to levels equivalent to the annual usage of all Asean nations combined.

Power usage in the country rose 8.6 per cent year on year to reach a historic high of 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), according to data released by China’s National Energy Administration on Thursday.

The level was more than double that of a decade ago and comparable to the annual electricity use of Asean, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

By sector, electricity use in the primary industry – including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries – grew the fastest, up 20.2 per cent year on year to 17 billion kWh.

The tertiary sector, covering services, consumed 208.1 billion kWh, marking a 10.7 per cent increase, while the secondary industry – such as manufacturing, construction and mining – used 593.6 billion kWh, a 4.7 per cent rise.

The surge in electricity usage came as industrial output grew 5.7 per cent year on year in July – slower than June’s 6.8 per cent and below Wind’s 5.82 per cent forecast, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics released earlier this month.