China August Power Use Tops 1 Trillion kWh, Load Hits Record

China’s electricity consumption exceeded 1 trillion kilowatt-hours in August as power demand remained robust, the National Energy Administration said on its WeChat account Sunday.

Peak power load climbed to a record 1.56 billion kilowatts during the month, surpassing last year’s maximum load on seven days. Total electricity consumption rose 1.7% from a year earlier to 1.033 trillion kilowatt-hours.

Industrial electricity consumption increased 2.7%, while in high-tech and equipment-manufacturing industries it rose 7.2% to 122.2 billion kilowatt-hours.

Power use by charging and battery-swapping surged 51% and for internet data it jumped 38%, while residential electricity consumption fell 4.0% because of more frequent typhoons and heavier rainfall than a year earlier, which reduced air-conditioning demand.