China’s national power load hits record high amid industrial and summer demand surge

According to official information from the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s national electricity load reached a new annual and all-time peak on 10 July, registering 1.518 billion kilowatts. The latest figure surpasses the previous historical maximum by 10 million kilowatts, marking a new milestone for the country’s summer power consumption levels.

Robust power demand across multiple sectors has jointly driven the record-breaking electricity consumption growth throughout the year. Industrial electricity use has maintained steady expansion, supported by the vigorous development of high-end manufacturing and advanced equipment industries. Emerging industrial sectors including new energy vehicles, energy storage facilities and digital computing equipment have continuously expanded their power consumption scale, forming stable growth momentum for industrial electricity demand.

The service industry has also recorded rapid growth in power consumption. Electricity usage for vehicle charging and battery swapping services, alongside internet data service operations, has increased by more than 40 per cent year on year, reflecting the fast expansion of China’s digital and new energy service infrastructure.

Sustained high temperatures across the country have further pushed up residential power loads. With continuous improvements in household living standards, air-conditioning cooling load now accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the total national power load, while the proportion exceeds 40 per cent in several provincial regions during peak summer periods.

The National Development and Reform Commission will coordinate with all member units of the inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for coal, electricity, oil, gas and transportation supply guarantee. Relevant authorities will continuously monitor and assess the national power supply and demand situation, consolidate responsibilities across all regions and industries, and fully implement targeted power guarantee measures.

Ongoing regulatory and operational arrangements will underpin stable electricity supply for economic and social development. The systematic guarantee mechanism will ensure reliable residential power consumption and steadily increase the proportion of green electricity utilised in end-user power consumption scenarios, supporting the continuous advancement of the country’s clean energy transition.