China’s electricity consumption, a critical indicator of economic vitality, demonstrated consistent growth in September 2025, increasing by 4.5 percent year-on-year to reach 888.6 billion kilowatt-hours, as reported by the National Energy Administration. This upward trend was particularly notable in the primary and secondary industries, which saw rises of 7.3 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively. The tertiary sector also experienced a significant boost, with a 6.3 percent increase in power usage. However, residential electricity consumption declined by 2.6 percent, totaling 128.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The China Electricity Council attributed the overall growth to a combination of unusually hot summer weather and government initiatives aimed at stabilizing industrial output. Jiang Debin, deputy director of the council’s statistics and data center, highlighted the sustained impact of robust macroeconomic policies supporting economic recovery, which drove high electricity consumption levels in July and August. From January to September, China’s total electricity use climbed 4.6 percent to nearly 7.77 trillion kilowatt-hours. Notably, the rapid expansion of mobile internet, big data, and cloud computing fueled a 33.8 percent year-on-year surge in electricity consumption by the internet and related services sector during the third quarter. Additionally, the electric vehicle industry continued its rapid growth, with electricity consumption for charging and battery swap services skyrocketing by 49.6 percent year-on-year.
