China’s total electricity consumption rises 5.3% in first half of 2026

According to data released by China’s National Energy Administration, the country’s overall electricity consumption reached 5.0999 trillion kilowatt-hours in the first six months of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 5.3%.

In June alone, nationwide electricity consumption stood at 898.1 billion kilowatt-hours, growing 3.7% compared with the same period last year. Breakdown data shows steady growth across industrial and service sectors. The primary industry consumed 13.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in the month, registering a moderate year-on-year rise of 2.0%.

Secondary industry electricity use totalled 573.4 billion kilowatt-hours in June, with a year-on-year growth of 4.7%. Industrial power consumption accounted for the bulk of the figure at 568.3 billion kilowatt-hours, representing a 4.9% year-on-year increase. High-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors delivered outstanding growth momentum, consuming 112.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieving a year-on-year surge of 10.3%, reflecting robust expansion in advanced manufacturing capacity.

The tertiary industry maintained strong power demand growth, recording 186 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption in June, up 5.6% year on year. Emerging service sectors continued to lead the overall growth rate. Electricity consumption for vehicle charging and swapping services hit 14.8 billion kilowatt-hours, with a year-on-year increase of 57.1%. Power usage for internet data services reached 9.1 billion kilowatt-hours, rising 41.4% from the previous year’s level.

The differentiated growth structure of electricity consumption mirrors the ongoing optimisation and upgrading of domestic economic and industrial structures. Strong power demand from high-end manufacturing and digital service industries will continue to underpin steady electricity consumption growth in the second half of the year, alongside sustained expansion of emerging economic sectors.