Electricity use powers 11% in May

Source: Xinhua | 2018-06-21

CHINA’S electricity consumption, a key gauge of economic activity, rose 11.4 percent year on year to 553.4 billion kilowatt hours in May amid a resilient economy, official data showed yesterday.

The rate was above the 7.8-percent rise for April, according to data released by the National Energy Administration.

Electricity used by the service sector rose 15.3 percent, followed by a 10.9 percent gain for the industrial sector and 10.3 percent for residential power use. Power consumption in the agricultural sector rose 9.1 percent, the NEA said.

In the first five months, power use added 9.8 percent to 2.66 trillion kilowatt hours.

China’s economy grew 6.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2018, above the government’s annual target of around 6.5 percent.

Economic activity grew steadily in May amid solid industrial output and manufacturing investment.